Barrett passes on another town hall during next week’s congressional recess

NAACP event set for Tuesday night without him

FRIDAY, APRIL 18 — The president of Lansing’s NAACP branch expressed disappointment today that U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, will not attend next week’s town hall meeting with District 7 constituents.

Branch President Harold A. Pope said this morning he met with Barrett by phone and in person but that it was “unproductive” toward scheduling an in-person town hall.

“I went into the conversation looking to have him commit to coming to our town hall,” Pope said. “He could not commit. We were hoping for other days to schedule but again couldn’t land on actually doing an in-person town hall.”

Pope said Barrett expressed a desire to meet with just local NAACP members but not to attend “a town hall with all his constituents available.” Pope added that an in-person town hall “is the clear ask of the NAACP Lansing.”

Pope said “everyone” he had spoken with on the matter “would like to have time” with Barrett “and share their concerns and hear his position on multiple issues.”

“We’d like to see him have a broader conversation with the whole community,” Pope said.

The town hall starts at 6 p.m. at the United Association union hall, 5405 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Lansing. It is scheduled for two hours.

Barrett spokesperson Michael Gordon confirmed last night that Barrett will not attend. He said Barrett met with Pope recently “to discuss how they can collaborate and bring the community together for a meaningful conversation.”

Barrett is yet to hold an in-person town hall since taking office in January. He is one of many Republican congressional members not holding in-person town halls after a slew of angry constituents flooded them during the first congressional recess.

Instead, Barrett has held two structured telephone meetings attended by thousands of constituents, though the first was marred by technical difficulties that kept many from attending.

Hundreds protested outside Barrett’s office calling for an in-person town hall during the February and March congressional recesses. In March, local activists formally delivered a petition they said had 1,800 signatures calling for a town hall and invited him to next week’s NAACP  event.

An “empty chair” town hall was also hosted by activist group Indivisible MI 7 March 22 on MSU’s campus. Barrett was nearby, attending a basketball game at the Breslin Center, but did not make an appearance.

The same day, Barrett released a statement defending his record of meeting with constituents and calling out “organized agitators” who he claimed “try to disrupt and plunge public events across the country into chaos.”