Barry Welsh, Democratic contender for IN-06, was punched in the face by Will Statom, GOP registration deputy and secretary of the local Republican Party in the City County Building in downtown Muncie. And so, by the way, was a reporter from the local newspaper, Nick Werner of The Muncie Star Press.
more after the jump...
Here is what I have gathered so far:
(prefacing the situation)
There was a voter registration drive the weekend of April 5th which was conducted by volunteers working in a non-partisan capacity, not promoting any candidate. The drives were conducted at the libraries, YWCA, Ivy Tech and at the public parks. Though the VR drives were coordinated and run by local grassroots Obama supporters, absolutely no volunteers wore an Obama symbol or sign, or pushed any candidate at all. We registered everyone, dems, republicans, independents. We didn't ask, it didn't matter.
We had hundreds of registration forms which were gathered up and taken into the election office of our county in the afternoon on the day of the deadline. The office responded by saying that since it was the day of the deadline and there was not enough employees to process all of the new voter registration forms, the forms would not be processed at all.
Yeah, that's right. Even though they were turned in on time and everyone who watches TV or listens to the radio or reads the paper knows that this year has shown record turn out, not only in voting but also in registration, these people said that they didn't hire more people to help with the overflow. They simply didn't want to, though they had the ability to do so by their own admission. Didn't have the staff, wouldn't get the staff.
Needless to say, that didn't go over well with those who spent weeks registering people only to be told that it was all in vain.
A group of volunteers and locally based Obama supporters, along with the IN-6 Democratic candidate Barry Welsh, and at least one reporter from the local newspaper, the Muncie Star Press, congregated at the local elections office in the City-County Building in downtown Muncie today at 1pm to protest the election office's refusal to process hundreds of voter regisration forms turned in by the deadline late afternoon on Monday, April 7th. It was peaceful and civil, there were maybe two dozen people who wanted answers. No signs, no yelling. In fact the crowd began to disperse after 15 minutes thinking that things were going no where fast. Then all hell broke loose.
Will Statom, GOP registration deputy and secretary of the local Republican Party, became very heated in exchanges with the group of citizens and became decidedly more agitated over the next 20 minutes. From what I have gathered from witnesses, it all started when Mr. Statom made a sarcastic remark to a Star Press reporter, Nick Werner, as he spoke with the local citizens for a story he would be writing. When Mr Werner responded, he was met with a punch in the face from Mr. Statom and the two of them fell to the ground. Everyone was in shock. No one saw it coming. Next thing you know there is an exchange between the election's office employee and Barry Welsh which also ends with the Mr Statom punching Mr. Welsh in the face. As things descended further into chaos, the police showed up and hauled Mr Statom off to jail where he was charged with battery.
***forgive a first time diarist for the haste in which this was written. I am at the Obama campaign office in Muncie where we are preparing to distribute tickets for the Town Hall being held here on Saturday. It is extremely hectic around here.***
UPDATE:
link to a story with more details on taking down words.
A Republican voter registration deputy faces battery charges after he tackled a newspaper reporter and hit the Democratic 6th District congressional candidate after a contentious Delaware County Election Board meeting this afternoon.
The meeting had just ended when Will Statom, GOP registration deputy and secretary of the local Republican Party, attacked Star Press reporter Nick Werner while Werner was interviewing Ball State University student Johanna Perez about hundreds of last-minute voter registrations for Democrat Barack Obama's campaign.
"He did not seem very happy that we were stating our opinions," Perez said afterwards about Statom.
obviously.
UPDATE 2:
Apparently this was diaried already today. My apologies to Daily Activist.
Show a guy some love for taking one for the team.
UPDATE 3:
after watching the top story on WTHR Indianapolis NBC affiliate, and thanks to my DVR, I will transcribe the report in part. As soon as I have a link or video I will add it as well.
A Black Eye for Politics in Indiana
Political jabs between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tame compared to the fist fight in the Delaware County Government Building after and election board meeting.
"I was blown away" says Kyle Flood, Ball State University junior, was standing just a few feet away when William Statom, the republican board member who witnesses say jumped a reporter from the Muncie Star Press. "The man walked up and shoved the reporter against the wall, put him in a headlock, and just started hitting him in the top of the head."
Sixth District congressional candidate Barry Welsh tried to break it up.
Barry Welsh via telephone interview; "It was very serious. I saw the distress on the face of the reporter, the guy had a serious choke hold on him, and umm, I just jumped in."
And [Welsh] caught a fist in his eye. Sherriff's deputies rushed in and hauled the election official off to jail. Statom, accused of misdemeanor battery, posted a $2500 bond.
snip
It was an emotional meeting, witnesses say more than 100 spectators as the election board argued over how workers were going to process more than 1,500 voter application forms in time for the May primary. snip
This special meeting drew alot of Ball State students, Barack Obama supporters who were registering voters right up until the deadline. More than once in Muncie tonight we heard from people saying "we are literally fighting for the right to vote".
reported by Rich Van White
VIDEO UPDATE:
This is what ran on the news last night, as described in the above update. I tried to embed, but it was a failure. So a link will have to do.
Eyewitness News Webcast --no longer working
Here is a youtube link posted down thread thanks to jedreport.