(The Center Square) – Let’s Go Washington signature gatherers for two initiatives continue to endure threats, intimidation, destruction of property, and, in some cases, assaults, the organization reports.
As of Thursday morning, there have been more than 30 reports, some of them captured on video, of signature gatherers being shoved, screamed at, threatened with violence, and petitions being damaged or stolen.
At least two people have been arrested, and law enforcement officials are following up on more than a dozen police reports with charges pending.
As reported by The Center Square, the initiatives backed by the conservative political committee Let’s Go Washington are IL26-001, which would re-enact a previous law to expand the rights of parents and guardians of public-school children, and IL26-638, which would prohibit students defined as biologically male from competing in school sports designated for female students only.
“He basically ripped up my paperwork and then pushed me in the process,” said John, who was gathering signatures Wednesday afternoon outside the Walmart Supercenter in Federal Way.
John, who did not want his full name published or his face shown for fear of being targeted, recounted an interaction he had with someone Tuesday outside the same store.
“He looked at it [the petition] like he was going to sign and then he just balled it up and then just pushed me with it,” he said. “So, I defended myself in a sense where I pushed him back. The store trespassed him.”
John said he felt compelled to continue gathering signatures despite the assault because he feels passionately about both initiatives.
“I mean, our kids are being attacked, and there’s a hidden agenda being pushed in the schools,” he said.
As The Center Square chatted with the signature gatherer, several customers approached the table to sign the petitions.
“At the end of the day, a parent should have a say over that kid at least until they’re 18. And they should have the ability to know what their child is being taught,” said Zee Montiel, who stopped to sign the parental rights petition. “Let’s say they’re being taught certain morals and certain things at home, and then they go to school and they learn something completely different. That doesn’t really help the parent.”
Montiel also signed the initiative to protect girls in sports.
“It boils down to the DNA of somebody. Women are not as strong. No matter how much you weightlift, and no matter how much you work out or whatever, men are always going to be stronger. It’s their job. It’s how God created it, point blank, period,” she said. “And it boils down to, you can’t mess with nature. And changing that disrupts the nature of life and disrupts the nature of who God is.”
John said a young woman who signed the petitions earlier Wednesday was a softball player.
“She said she went to Florida to go compete in a tournament,” he explained. “They were about to win until a transgender [player] hit a grand slam. Another young lady signed on the same day. She said she was doing a marathon or running in a meet or something, and she got beat out by a transgender [athlete]. I mean, that’s just crazy.”
The office of state Attorney General Nick Brown responded to an email request for comment about the attacks.
“Under most circumstances, our office does not have jurisdiction over criminal acts like the ones described in recent reports, but we encourage individuals who believe they may have been the victim of a crime to contact local authorities,” Mike Faulk, AGO deputy communications director, said.
John said he planned to keep gathering signatures on Thursday.
“You got to keep your head on the swivel,” he said. “There’s been a lot of verbal abuse, but being a petitioner, you got to have tough skin.”
