Congressman’s speech on civility disrupted by protesters in Tacoma. Here’s what we know
A speech that U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer was about to give on toxic polarization in American discourse went undelivered at the University of Puget Sound Wednesday night, Feb. 21, after student protesters took over the stage, prematurely ending the event.
Kilmer, a Democrat representing the Washington’s Sixth District, was scheduled to present the Susan Resneck Pierce Lecture in the college’s Schneebeck Concert Hall when more than 50 pro-Palestine protesters rushed into the ticketed event and onto the stage, according to former News Tribune publisher David Zeeck, who attended the event.
“They took the stage, using a bullhorn and chanting slogans and stamping their feet in time,” Zeeck said.
UPS President Isiaah Crawford said in a statement to the campus community that the protesters had been permitted to assemble outside the concert hall but not interfere with Kilmer’s speech or enter the building.
UPS spokesperson Veronica Craker said the protesters were voicing a pro-Palestine message but had no details beyond that.
Kilmer, in a statement to The News Tribune, said his speech’s theme centered on finding ways to strengthen civility in discourse and bridge divides.
“Sadly, a group of protesters decided they wanted to stifle speech on campus even after I had offered to meet with concerned students,” Kilmer said. “Their actions last night made the case for my remarks — and for more civil discourse — better than I could have.”
Crawford apologized for the disruption.
“That this action was taken at an event specifically focusing on building bridges across differences is profoundly ironic and disappointing,” Crawford said.
The incident highlights the schism that can occur when one group’s right of free speech impinges on another group’s free speech.
“While we respect the right to protest, and support opportunities for students to do so, behavior that materially disrupts university operations and events, impedes discourse, and infringes on the rights of others is unacceptable,” Crawford said.
Tacoma police spokesperson Officer Shelbie Boyd said her department had officers on scene. After the protesters breached the doors, police and campus security shut down the event.
Craker said 195 attendees had registered for the lecture, but only about 60 made it inside before the event was canceled. An investigation of the incident is underway, Crawford said.
In November, Kilmer announced he would not seek reelection to his Sixth Congressional District seat in 2024.
In his message Thursday, Feb. 22, Crawford attached the speech Kilmer was unable to give.
“Places like the University of Puget Sound have a unique capability to foster understanding, dialogue, and collaboration across a diverse university community,” Kilmer’s remarks read. “Our colleges and universities are the places where students from varied backgrounds, holding different perspectives, come together, challenging each other’s views constructively, and learning to appreciate the value of how other people think.”
This story was originally published February 22, 2024 at 3:49 PM.
