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Rep. Trent Franks Shuts D.C. Residents Out of His Office
| Source: |
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DCist.com |
| Date: |
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Wednesday, May 23, 2012 |
| Author: |
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Martin Austermuhle |
A crowd of D.C. residents descended on Capitol Hill this afternoon with complaints ranging from broken streetlights to potholes, but Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) was there to hear them—he closed down his office instead.
The residents, organized by D.C. voting rights organization DC Vote, went to the Hill today as part of a symbolic protest against Franks' bill that would prohibit abortions in D.C. after 20 weeks. Mockingly referring to him as "Mayor" Franks, the residents were ready to treat him to D.C. constituent concerns both small and big as a means to make about a point about him butting into local affairs, reported the Huffington Post:
"My issue today is metro—full funding for metro," said Jon Ozment, a 56-year-old D.C. resident. "As a constituent here, I use metro all the time, my children use it, and it's really disgraceful the condition they've allowed metro to get to."
"I have to say I'm very disappointed today," he added. "I really wanted to meet my representative, Mr. Franks. He's supposed to be representing us and I did take some time to come in here today, so I hope he takes these concerns into account."
The problem is that that Franks and his staff never showed. As a crowd gathered outside his office at noon, the door remained locked and phone calls went directly to voicemail. Emails to his communications staff still have not been returned, and as of 3:15 p.m. no one is yet picking up the phone.
The National Right to Life Committee, which supports the abortion limits, said today that D.C. voting rights protesters were missing the point: "We hope [that] demonstrators will grasp the profound difference between a broken street light and the broken skull of an unborn child, which is crushed by a steel clamp during a late abortion."
According to the Post, the NRLC also isn't a big fan of Home Rule: "[T]he U.S. Constitution makes it crystal clear that the District of Columbia belongs to all of the American people, and is to be governed by the Congress and the president.”
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http://dcist.com/2012/05/on_constituent_day_rep_trent_franks .php
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