Emily Feiner
Community resident who stood up for free speech
“What is much more important to me is that they are pursuing a playbook that is reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s — that this is what they do with dissent….” – Emily Feiner, reflecting on her forcible removal from a GOP-led town hall for asking questions about Trump administration policies.
On May 4, Emily Feiner, 64, gained national attention when she was forcibly removed by two state troopers from a local town hall at the Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School in Somers, NY, hosted by GOP Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), for asking tough questions about Trump policies. Lawler is a self-proclaimed moderate who won his seat in 2022 with less than 2000 votes and has hinted that he plans to run for governor. Feiner’s offense? She asked Lawler if he had a “red line” regarding Trump’s actions, “because he’s done nothing yet, while presenting himself as a moderate, to indicate that he is, in any way, going to act as a check on this administration,” Feiner told Mother Jones in a post-incident interview.
Feiner told reporters that Lawler had set up a tightly controlled event, handing attendees a list of rules upon arrival including demands that they provide their proof of residence and prohibitions on photography or filming – not usual for a local town hall.
When Lawler sidestepped her question, and began talking about appropriations, Feiner called out loud, “Answer the question, answer the question.” He didn’t, and then declined to answer a question by the next person.
Feiner’s aides then demanded that Feiner leave, which she refused to do. That’s also when her friend Jennifer Cabrera, chair of the local chapter of the Working Families Party, began videotaping the incident. Two troopers stepped in and carried Feiner out of the room as she flashed a peace sign – an act of resistance that went viral when Cabrera released the video. As she was being removed, some attendees shouted “Let her stay!” then “Shame!” Cabrera was then carried out by two other troopers; so were several other attendees who protested their ejection.
Feiner said she refused to leave “because I think that I live in America, which still has a Constitution and a First Amendment and a right for citizens to ask questions of their representatives.” Added Cabrera: “That’s the type of person that Emily is: she’s not going to be cowed by somebody just because they have a position of power."
In a wake of negative press, Lawler’s office later released a statement confirming state police had removed a “radical far-left activist” from the town hall who they alleged was “persistently interrupting the event, disrespecting attendees, berating staff, and ignoring orders by state police.” It did not mention Feiner by name. But his office knows who she is. It turns out the town hall wasn’t Feiner’s first rodeo when it comes to Lawler. She has joined other protests outside Lawler’s office and has been critical of the congressman online.
In fact, Feiner is not registered with either political party, but she is the daughter of a father, Irving, who was the subject of a landmark free speech case in 1949. She picked up the values of defending First Amendment principles early on at home. Professionally, Feiner is a semi-retired social worker and former employee for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I think this says that they will not tolerate us being active participants in our democracy – they want an autocracy,” Feiner stated about the strong-armed response by Lawler’s team. Cabrera saw it as evidence that Republicans are “afraid of their constituents because they know how unpopular their positions are.”
Calling out GOP leaders’ collusion in censorship
In fact, the raucous town hall was only the latest in a string of GOP-hosted public forums where organizers forcibly removed attendees who pressed them with hard questions. On February 25, private security guards in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, forcibly removed Teresa Borrenpohl (also an Ordinary Patriot – see her profile) from a Republican-hosted town hall after she demanded that speakers answer constituents’ questions. (The CEO of the local security company and guards involved are now facing multiple charges, while Borrenpohl is seeking $5 million in damages.) Audience members were also forcibly removed from GOP-led town halls held by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
For his part, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has reportedly opted to avoid in-person town halls because so many locals were turning out to demand Republican leaders clarify their position on Trump’s directives and actions. Johnson baselessly claimed audience members were “professional protesters,” while media stories have quoted Trump voters among town hall attendees lobbing furious questions at GOP representatives.
Feiner stated for the record that she is not a paid protester, and holds firm to the importance of speaking up and holding local officials accountable for their votes on key legislation and issues. “Everybody doesn’t have to do what I do, but everybody has a role: be a body, be there,” said Feiner. “Let your elected representative know that you care, that you’re watching.”
Weighing in, the National Association of Social Work-New York City /New York State released a statement of solidarity with Feiner on May 6, that strongly condemned her treatment at the Lawler town hall. “Unfortunately, this case is not unique,” the NASW stated. “Rather, it is one of a growing national trend in which citizens, including those who seek justice, transparency, and the common good, are being removed or silenced from these political spaces.” Coming on the heels of Borrenpohl’s forcible removal, the NASW stated, “Ms. Feiner’s treatment raises concerns about the silencing of citizens and the targeting of professionals who are committed to speaking out on behalf of vulnerable communities.” The NASW called for “transparency and a renewed commitment to protecting the rights of all individuals to participate in the democratic process without fear of intimidation or removal.”
For her part, Feiner has used her newfound public visibility to press her case, accusing Republicans of colluding with authoritarianism:
“What is much more important to me is that they are pursuing a playbook that is reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s – that this is what they do with dissent; that they have no problem carrying a 64-year-old woman out of a town hall that was being held by my publicly elected congressional representative,” she said. “There's no doubt in my mind this is meant to try to chill dissent.”