Palestinian supporters give congressional staffer an earful at Fresno library | Opinion

Voices don’t normally get this loud in the quiet room of the Woodward Park Regional Library.

Speaking in a raised, impassioned tone, a woman with thick black glasses and a toddler at her feet interrupted Congressman Tom McClintock’s staff office hours Wednesday morning.

The woman was among a dozen or so protesters who turned out to air their pro-Palestine views about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. A few brought signs (“Ceasefire Now!!” and “End the Occupation”) and Palestinian flags.

The congressman wasn’t present in northeast Fresno, of course. Standing and listening in McClintock’s stead was Brixton Layne, a 26-year-old staffer with the title of deputy constituent services director.

Layne, who wore a dark blue suit with no necktie, began by introducing himself and summarizing McClintock’s current happenings and legislative priorities. (One of them aims to weaken federal laws protecting endangered species. Oh brother.)

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At the instant Layne called for questions, the Palestinian sentiment in the room spilled out. First to speak was the mother with the thick black glasses, who loudly denounced President Joe Biden’s $14 billion in military aid to Israel that passed the House with McClintock’s support. Money, she contended, that will be used to continue the onslaught in Gaza.

In response Layne pointed out, correctly, that foreign policy is a responsibility of the executive branch of the federal government.

“Does (McClintock) at the very least condemn the murder of civilians?” she asked.

“He condemns all civilian deaths,” Layne replied.

“OK, well how come he hasn’t said anything publicly?” the woman retorted, her daughter babbling at her feet. “He’s said nothing publicly! I did my research before I came here.”

The woman wasn’t through, and Layne allowed her to continue. She went on to decry the hundreds of Palestinian families that have been “wiped out” as well as the deaths of thousands in Gaza since Israel launched a retaliatory bombing campaign, many of them children.

“The children are not Hamas!” she exclaimed.

“And that is a great tragedy,” Layne replied calmly. “Israel would not be defending itself if it were not attacked in the first place.”

This was not at all what I expected. Then again, democracy always keeps you on your toes.

‘Please attend this meeting’

Last week I received an email encouraging me to attend one of McClintock’s semi-regular staff office hours. The one Wednesday morning was the seventh such occurrence since January when the nine-term congressman began representing north Fresno.

“Please attend this meeting,” it read. “It is a close up look at the far-right conservative movement in Fresno.”

So I went, only to get an up-close look at an entirely different community group. One that gets heard from a lot less frequently.

Not that local conservatives weren’t in attendance and didn’t get the chance to ask questions. They were, and they did. But they also found themselves outnumbered. One man, after expressing his dissatisfaction with a protester’s “vulgarity,” got up and angrily walked out.

At one point the discourse got so heated that Jennifer Bethel, public services manager for the Fresno County Public Library, entered the room and warned the woman with the black glasses that if she didn’t lower her voice, she’d be asked to leave.

“If you’re asked, please leave willingly,” Bethel politely but firmly told the woman.

Man, oh man. Who all of a sudden made libraries the epicenter for so much controversy and consternation?

During the hour-long group session, everyone in the room who raised their hand got the chance to speak. Several did so quite passionately.

“We don’t mean to be rude to you, but we’re (angry) children are dying and nobody seems to care,” said a man carrying a Palestinian flag.

“Why isn’t (McClintock) here? We pay taxes. We want to hear from our representative, and he needs to hear from us. We’re not going to be silent.”

Through it all, Layne remained calm and composed. The Sanger High graduate never raised his voice or spoke out of turn. He reminded the group it was his job to pass along their concerns to the congressman.

“Everything you hear today, I’m bringing back word for word,” Layne said while scribbling notes.

The congressional staffer drew jeers each time he reiterated McClintock’s belief that Israel has both a right to exist and to defend itself from Hamas attacks.

But when Layne informed them that McClintock was one of five House Republicans to vote against the censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, a few people quietly clapped.

Shortly after 10, Layne departed for a smaller office where he spent more than an hour meeting with constituents individually to hear concerns about the district and help them navigate federal agencies.

One of the last people to get an audience with Layne was the mother with the thick black glasses.

“We’re always happy to have people come out and speak their minds,” the McClintock staffer said afterward with a sheepish grin, looking relieved office hours were over.