Cross posted from Blue Virginia
Why was this man, Jon Taylor of Louisa County, Virginia, being arrested and manhandled by police Monday? Because, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, he was attending an apparently public event at a coffee house, promoted by Rep. Eric Cantor on his website.
Taylor said the Democrats were asked to leave by the coffee shop's owner. When they refused, authorities escorted them outside.
The three others were issued summonses for trespassing.
Cantor arrived after the disturbance, entering the coffee shop by the rear door. He spoke for about 20 minutes, shook hands with the guests and left.
So, are you feeling comfortable in Eric Cantor's - or Rand Paul's, or Joe Miller's, for that matter - America? Get used to more of this if these guys win next Tuesday.
UPDATE: The Washington Post has more:
Cantor also has a tendency to surround himself with layers of defense, as was the case Monday when he appeared at a coffee shop in the small town of Louisa, supposedly to meet voters.
One man attending was John Taylor, a member of the Louisa County Democratic Committee and a backer of Rick Waugh, Cantor's Democratic opponent. Taylor and two others were asked to leave the coffee shop. County police then subdued Taylor, as can be seen in a video shot by his son with his cell phone.
Events like these raise questions about the decorum of the man who would be in such a powerful position on Capitol Hill. Violence at campaign stops, regardless of who may be at fault, is not something commonplace in Virginia politics.
If Cantor says he will meet and debate voters, he should have the nerve to do so. He should not hide behind his party's gatekeepers and a rural police department.
The fact that Cantor very much does have to "hide behind his party's gatekeepers and a rural police department" really says it all, doesn't it?
P.S. If you want to help Cantor's Democratic opponent, Rick Waugh, please click here. Thanks.
UPDATE #2: NBC 12 has more, including a claim - this needs to be investigated further - that it was a "private event."
Jon Taylor, a member of the Louisa Democratic Committee and a supporter of Rick Waugh refused to leave the private event. The owner of the shop then got police involved.
Louisa Town Police and the County Sheriffs struggled with Taylor for several minutes. The tangle required three officers before he was finally subdued. The fracas was captured on cell phone video by Taylor's son Bradley.
He claims the sheriffs and local police were out to get him before he said a word.
"The Louisa County police department was basically used by Eric Cantor's campaign to make a political statement," said Taylor.
The Sheriff's department strongly denies that charge. Department officials say two other people were asked to leave and did so without having to be restrained.
The Cantor camp claims that Rick Waugh's supporters often spring up at his events and then post the results on YouTube. Like video of Waugh confronting Cantor at a local event.
"Here's my cell phone, you can call me at any time," Waugh is heard saying as he attempts to hand Cantor a business card.
UPDATE #3: More information I've discovered this morning.
The coffee house - "Solid Grounds" - website is here.
Apparently, the Cantor campaign was advertising this event heavily - not clear at the moment whether that was just to supporters - as part of the "Eric Cantor Victory Tour" or some such b.s. I also head that the request to leave was not made by the restaurant staff or owner, but directly by the security/police folks. Another interesting tidbit - at least some of the Democrats bought coffee, which means that they were paying customers of this establishment. Finally, it appears that the Democrats were targeted for who they were, not for any untoward behavior.
That's it for now, I'm sure we'll find out more since Louisa is a very small town and word gets around.
UPDATE #4: Sure looks like a public, well-advertised event to me! Note that it doesn't say "Republicans only" or "No Democrats allowed." Also note that Jon Taylor and three friends RSPV'ed the day before the event.
UDPDATE #5: Listed as "Worthy Causes" on the coffeeshop's website are:
*"My Life My Call": "Even though you have had sex, it doesn’t mean you have to continue having sex. Make a decision to cease from sexual activity from this day forward, and have your friends keep you accountable. It’s never too late to start the rest of your life today."
*Christ in Action: "a faith based nonprofit 501-(C)(3) organization founded in January of 1982 by Dr. Denny & Sandy Nissley. The Nissley's have been married for 28 years, are Certified Marriage Specialists through the National Association of Marriage Enhancement (NAME), have completed Pastoral Crisis Intervention and Assisting Individuals in Crisis training with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF). At the request of The White House, they are currently developing a Faith Based First Responders Coalition to streamline a nationwide rapid response network in the event of future disasters.CIA has been responding to national disasters since 1998."
