Pro-Palestinian group forces shut down of Casten town hall meeting in Downers Grove

A group of pro-Palestinian protestors shut down a town hall meeting held Wednesday night by U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove).

Downers Grove police escorted about a half a dozen pro-Palestinian protesters and two pro-Israeli protesters from the town hall meeting, which was held at American Legion Post 80.

After about an hour of repeated interruptions and a moment when Casten left the podium in an attempt to deescalate the audience, police made the decision to halt the event. More than 250 attendees left without the opportunity to get their questions answered.

Throughout the meeting, protesters approached the small stage where Casten was standing forcing his staff members to form a line in front of him. One protester jumped onto the stage.

”Our people are demanding action, and you ignore us,” he told Casten. “Just two days ago, 173 children were slaughtered with our tax dollars.”

On Tuesday, Israel ended the ceasefire and sent a surprise wave of air strikes in Gaza killing more than 400 people, according to NPR.

After Casten suggested the protester run for office, he shouted back, “You are the most soulless piece of crap I have ever seen.”

Minutes later another protester shouted, “Why are we playing with decorum and politeness when there is a genocide?”

Casten’s multiple attempts to steer the town hall back to his prepared comments were met by another protester shouting from a different part of the room. Many in the audience yelled “goodbye” or “get out of here” at the protesters.

“We don’t like the genocide either,” one attendee shouted. Yet another asked the protesters to “let Casten speak.” Another yelled, “I came to hear the congressman, not you.”

“I am committed to making sure there are two states and peace” in the region, Casten said.

Casten said he takes pride in hosting town hall meetings, but has chosen to do telephone town halls recently “because they are less likely to be disrupted.”

He said he holds about one town hall each month and “one a week lately” because of the “Constitutional crisis we are finding ourselves in.”

“We don’t benefit from ducking and going to our respective corners. We have to make sure we don’t divide ourselves,” he said.

”We are at a point where we have to be very Churchillian about this,” Casten said. “We have entered an era of consequences. I cannot guarantee you that we will get through this, but I can guarantee you that we will lose our republic if we don’t stand up and fight for it.“

“This is on all of us,” Casten added. “This is not about who you voted for or policy issues that may divide us. All of us have to be committed to the idea that we are all Americans, and we can treat each other with respect and virtue regardless of whose yard sign was in your yard last November.

“We have to be very clear-eyed that [the reason] we are in this Constitutional crisis right now is because it has become partisan to defend the Constitution,” Casten said.

The idea that the nation has separate, co-equal branches of government that act as a check and balance on each other is in the Constitution, Casten said.

”Right now, the only branch that is acting like a check is the courts,” he said.

Lisle resident Jackie Chojnicki, who sat in the front row during the town hall, said she left the meeting disappointed.

”We missed out on what we all wanted to hear,” Chojnicki said. ”I sympathize with the Palestinians. I do. I feel like all they did tonight was weaken their cause due to their outburst.”

Chojnicki said she supports Casten and his voting record but hoped to learn “what he is going to be doing” [and] what we can do about DOGE and cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.”

Mary and Gary Cation of Lombard attended the event because they wanted to ask Casten about his take on checks and balances and the disregard of court orders.

“I am sad and disappointed,” Mary Cation said. “I understand people have issues that they are very frustrated about. I respect that. It wasn’t the right way to handle it.”