A town hall meeting with President Obama on police-minority relations was disrupted Thursday by the daughter of a man killed by police, screaming that she wasn’t allowed to question the president.
Erica Garner, daughter of the late Eric Garner of New York City, began yelling at the event produced by ABC News about her lack of participation.
“I was railroaded! I was railroaded by ABC on the two-year anniversary of my father’s death!” she yelled. Eric Garner died on July 17, 2014.”That’s what I have to do? A black person has to yell to be heard?”
She could be heard asking to speak to the president, who looked up from speaking to others, to see what the source of the commotion was.
The even took place at a theater near the White House. The program is being aired Thursday night.
At one point, Ms. Garner was led by an aide to speak with the president. When the aide touched her arm, she recoiled, saying “Don’t touch me,” according to a pool report from a journalist traveling with Mr. Obama.
The White House said the president did speak briefly with Ms. Garner, a Bernie Sanders supporter who has been a vocal advocate of policy changes related to police practices, including a federal ban on the kind of chokehold applied to her father before his death.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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