This isn't Gilead.

This shit is 100% American.

On Saturday a group of men in Idaho shoved Dr. Teresa Borrenpohl to the ground, restrained her with zip ties, and forcibly dragged her out of a town hall. Why? Because she was there advocating for things like reproductive rights and Medicaid. I’m really grateful for her courage. I’m also incandescent with rage.

Here’s a description from a bystander of what happened to Dr. Borrenpohl after she asked* whether the event was a lecture or a town hall.

*Note: a lot of outlets are labeling Dr. Borrenpohl’s activism as “heckling” - sure Jan.

Mary Rosdahl attended the town hall and described watching the sheriff attempt to pull Borrenpohl from her seat, then beckon to the security personnel. Rosdahl, who is a nurse, said she stood nearby during the incident because she feared for Borrenpohl’s safety.

“They came and took her by the arms and pulled her and then took her by her feet and pulled her into the aisle,” she said. “They laid her face-down on the floor. Two of them were on top of her, holding her down, and then eventually they boosted her up on her feet and dragged her out the door. I was worried about their handling.”

And here’s Dr. Borrenpohl’s description herself:

As the men dragged her down the aisle, Borrenpohl lost her shoe, and at one point, her shirt nearly came off.

“It was really violent and really traumatic,” she said. “They had grabbed my wrists. They contorted my body. They lifted me up and dropped me down. My only thought was to maintain my airway. They were forcing me down on the ground. I just wanted to make sure I could still breathe.”

This is obviously incredibly disturbing on its own. But it’s important to understand that the men who dragged her out were not in any way identified. It was a group of three random dudes wearing plain black jackets. While they were assaulting her, she asked them repeatedly to identify themselves. They refused.

Here are the random, unidentified men, Note the other random men standing there watching her be assaulted. It’s now being reported that they were “plainclothes security personnel” from a private security firm called LEAR Asset Management

Unidentified men in black jackets. Hmm. Is identification required? Yes, it is. Coeur d’Alene city code requires security agents to wear uniforms “clearly marked” with the word “security” in letters no less than 1 inch tall on the front and no less than four inches tall on the back. These jackets were plain, y’all.

And yes, the sheriff was there, thank you for asking! Instead of intervening, piece of shit Bob Norris encouraged them. And then pulled out his phone to film it. But wait, there’s more:

Town hall organizers and Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris have claimed no knowledge of the security personnel or who hired them.

That’s right, “no knowledge” of the security personnel. So, what does that mean? It means the sheriff directly encouraged these totally random men to assault her, despite (allegedly) not knowing who they were. More from the Coeur d'Alene Press

Borrenpohl said she didn’t recognize Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris at first when he approached her in the semidarkness of the auditorium because he was dressed in jeans and a baseball cap.

“I was really dumbfounded because he said, ‘Do you want me to pepper spray you?’” she recalled. “That was the first thing he said to me that I remember.”

Footage from the event showed Norris take Borrenpohl’s arm with both hands and make multiple attempts to pull her from her seat. Borrenpohl said that after she declined to leave, Norris turned to the unidentified men and said, “Guys, get her.”

On video, Borrenpohl can be seen repeatedly asking the men to identify themselves. They did not. She asked Norris if the men were his deputies, and he gave no answer.

Kootenai County GOP officials said Saturday that they didn’t know which company provided security for their event and told the Press to seek that information from the sheriff.

“Bob (Norris) was right there,” KCRCC chair Brent Regan said. “Nothing was done without him being aware.”

Norris denied knowledge of the event’s security arrangements and said he didn’t know the security personnel.

So which is it Bob? Did you follow protocol? Do you know them? Did you simply want to inflict pain and humiliation on Dr. Borrenpohl, devil may care about the details? Sheriffs/cops/private security/the entire carceral system aren’t meant to and do not keep us safe.

The headline on this one is “Sheriff scopes out explicit library books” LMAO

Somehow, there’s more:

image via Newsweek

He called her a LITTLE GIRL. Anti-abortion freaks love to talk about “consequences”. The consequence for having sex? Have a child. The consequence for standing up for our rights? Be violently dragged out of a room while wondering if you’re being kidnapped. Random stupid men think they are in charge of doling out “consequences” to powerful women. It’s absurd!

This particular random stupid man is Ed Bejarana. Here’s how he describes himself: “With over 35 years in the entertainment industry and 15 years of dedicated voice-over work, I bring passion and professionalism to every project.”

The professional himself

We must have different definitions of professionalism, Ed! This is pure misogyny, designed to make us feel like our actions don’t matter. But clearly they do. Everyone I know is furious about this today. Ed even had to delete his IG.

From Dr. Borrenpohl’s IG:

There is a GoFundMe set up to help with legal costs, but it has already far surpassed the goal. If you’re feeling like putting some money out there, consider donating to an abortion fund or practical support organization! Directory here.

Love,

Becca