Posted on 04/06/2003 8:42:12 PM PDT by KittyKares
Congressman Elton Gallegly Statement on Criminal Acts by Professional Agitators In Thousand Oaks District Office
WASHINGTON, D.C.—On April 1, 2003, a group of professional agitators came to my district office in Thousand Oaks, California, for the stated purpose of disrupting congressional business. District Chief of Staff Brian Miller and Office Manager Paula Sheil did everything possible to accommodate them, even after they forced their way through closed doors and entered the inner office with the stated intention of making it impossible for us to serve my constituents.
For six and a half hours, Brian, Paula and the rest of my district staff demonstrated exceptional patience as some members of the group picked up phones and hung up on constituents, screamed while staff members were on the phones so they could not help constituents with their needs, and chanted loudly for the same purpose. My staff was forced to collect confidential files on constituents and secure them as the agitators went through staff’s desks.
At the end of six and half hours, a male agitator urinated in the office’s kitchen sink, witnessed by at least one female member of my staff. It was then that I ordered my staff to leave the office and requested that the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation secure the situation. My staff was unable to help our constituents under the circumstances and I would not allow them to be subjected to lewd criminal behavior.
To protect the hardworking people in other offices in the building, the Sheriff’s Department evacuated the entire building. I offer my personal apology to the other offices that suffered loss of business because of the criminal acts by a few agitators.
Because this is now a criminal matter, I will not comment beyond this statement. Questions should be directed to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
And stupidity. They shouldn't have been there much longer than ten minutes. While they may have been "professional agitators," they should have been introduced to professional law-enforcement. Instead, you allowed them that much time to interfere with carrying out your duties. Sounds like an image thing to me.
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