Tennessee’s congressional representatives decided against holding town hall meetings during their first recess of Congress this week, but that didn’t deter a group of citizens who hosted their own event at Chattanooga’s Public Library Friday afternoon.
Close to 200 people attended the people’s town hall to organize for future events and hear from volunteer speakers, most of whom were upset with their representatives’ apparent willingness to sail along with President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander were invited to the event, as were Reps. Chuck Fleischmann and Scott DesJarlais, but they declined to participate. In fact, the only sign of them was onstage, where four cardboard cutouts had been been placed with the representatives’ faces plastered over the heads and garish ties slung around the necks.
In lieu of their actual representatives, the crowd harangued these stand-ins, saying the men were shirking their responsibilty to represent all of their constituents.
“Do you see them here?” yelled Rachel Campbell to the crowd.