Town halls are meant to be a space where voters can engage with elected officials, ask questions, and hold leaders accountable. But in Idaho,
one woman was brutally silenced - ripped from her seat, zip-tied, and mocked - just for speaking up. This was not democracy in action. It was political intimidation.
If we allow this kind of political intimidation to go unpunished, it
sets a dangerous precedent where those in power can silence dissent by force. No one should fear violence or arrest simply for speaking up.
Sign the petition to demand justice!At this particular town hall,
the audience was interactive and rowdy. Attendees frequently called out their support or disagreement in response to the elected officials who were speaking at the front of the room.
But those First Amendment free speech rights apparently did not extend to one woman, Dr. Teresa Borrenpohl. Instead, when she piped up from her seat in the audience, the consequences were swift and severe.
Three unidentified men in plainclothes pulled her out of her seat and threw her onto the ground. Then, they were on her - contorting her arms until they had
wrapped plastic zip-ties around her wrists, binding her. She repeatedly demanded that the men identify themselves, but they ignored her.
The local Sheriff, Bob Norris, was in attendance.
He simply looked at her and asked: "Do you want me to pepper spray you?" He also refused to answer questions about who these unnamed male assailants were.
While all this was going on, the host of the town hall, Ed Bejarana, loudly mocked her, saying: "Just look at this.
This little girl is afraid to leave. She spoke up and now she doesn't want to suffer the consequences."
After zip-tying her, the three men carried Dr. Borrenpohl out of the room and dragged her away. Then, to add insult to injury, she was
charged with Battery. The incident required her to be
hospitalized shortly afterwards, and left her with lingering bruises due to the brutality.
Later, we learned that the three men were part of a private security team.
They broke the law in a variety of ways, including by not visibly and clearly identifying themselves. Additionally,
it is also a crime to zip-tie someone, as this constitutes kidnapping, false arrest, or illegal detainment. Authorities have since dropped the charges and fired the security team involved - the one with the unnamed plainclothes men. But this was a chilling instance that must not be ignored.
While the charges were dropped and the security team was fired, that's not enough. Those responsible for this unlawful attack - including Sheriff Norris - must be held accountable.
If we don't take action, this kind of abuse will continue.We must demand justice. Sheriff Norris must be fired, and the men involved must be charged for their various crimes - including lack of identification and the assault and battery they committed against this woman. Sign the petition.