Roskam Misses Packed March For Our Lives Town Hall In Glen Ellyn

GLEN ELLYN, IL — A crowd of constituents from the Illinois 6th Congressional District erupted in boos when students told them Rep. Pete Roskam (R-IL6) declined an invitation to the March for Our Lives Town Hall Saturday. Roskam, whose campaign said he had a scheduling conflict, missed the town hall, where his Democratic challenger Sean Casten fielded questions from residents who packed the pews at First United Methodist Church in Glen Ellyn.

In response to the boos directed at Roskam, Jeromel Lara, one of the students leading the town hall said, "Don't boo; vote."

Casten added, “We all had a chuckle at the fact that Roskam wasn’t here, but be sad about the fact there was a story in the press this morning that in these town halls that are going on all across the country today not a single Republican has agreed to show up.”

The nationwide student-organized town halls are yet another signal of students mobilizing politically in the wake of the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“I don’t know that your generation quite appreciates what an enormous impact you have had on the national conversation,” Casten told students from Wheaton North and Glenbard North, South, and West who were present.

The candidate answered questions from constituents at the forum and questions that had been submitted online, tackling issues such as assault weapons bans, the so-called boyfriend loophole, and gun crime in inner cities.

Casten, who is in favor of an assault weapons ban and comprehensive gun law reform, also addressed the issue that people who live in areas with high rates of gun violence may feel they need guns to feel safe.

He said roughly 40% of gun crimes in Chicago can be traced to gun purchases in Indiana and Wisconsin and called for accountability for gun owners.

Casten said there are areas where residents "legitimately get up and say, ‘If I don’t carry a gun, I might not be safe today.' That’s an unfortunate reality and it’s hard to begrudge someone who feels that unsafe in their community from the right to protect themselves, but I do think we have an obligation to make sure that they don't feel that fear in their life, which goes way beyond guns."

Student speakers at the town hall spoke candidly about the need for gun control in inner cities, along with focusing on the current issue of gun violence in schools, which has been the catalyst for the March for Our Lives movement.

Grace Tulley, who attends Wheaton North High School, said that students wept and were so afraid that they "couldn't speak" during a walkout drill at her school.

The students at the town hall said had they were disappointed they didn't get more questions from their peers, but many of the questions sent were from adults between the ages of 35 and 75. "A big part of my next step is activating my peers to care and to do something about [their concern about gun violence]," Tulley said.

They also said they'd like to have Roskam, who agreed to meet with students after the forum, to include constituents in any gun control discussions.

Casten suggested that the Republican absences were connected to GOP candidates thinking young people don’t vote. He used this to catalyze the students, saying “you guys have got to keep it up.”

Glenbard North student Janielle said, "No matter how small we are physically or how young we are, it doesn't mean our voices are small," she said.

Constituents on social media were vocal about their disappointment with Roskam's absence. His campaign spokesperson, Veronica Vera, told Patch Roskam met with students "for about an hour" following the Parkland, Florida shooting and is making plans to meet with them again.

Though the date of the meeting has not been set, it seemed apparent at the town hall that the students were going to keep pushing to speak with Roskam, Casten, and constituents to address their concerns about gun violence.

In response to the town hall and the ongoing March for Our Lives movement, a Facebook user named Laura wrote, "A tidal wave of change is coming led by one of the bravest, most passionate, informed, and educated generations in decades!”

Watch the full March for Our Lives Town Hall video below:

Image via Shutterstock