When Pressure Becomes Your Poison Pill

There is no “right” way to follow someone into a public restroom and record the event. Ever.

Sometimes it amazes me how far people will go to wreck their own causes. And if you don’t know what I’m writing about today, here’s a quick summary.

This past Sunday, US Senator Kyrsten Sinema was back in Arizona to teach a standing course she offers at Arizona State University. Activists in the area found a way to enter the secured building, disrupt her class, and then harass her while following her into a public restroom. The entirety of this incident is unequivocally wrong – and equally disturbing.

Maybe I’m a bit close to this because I’ve been on the receiving end of these techniques. More than a few times, my previous bosses had to face political opposition that chose scare tactics instead of pursuing effective advocacy strategies. Those efforts involved harassment when the elected official or candidate was at a public event, haranguing them while out with their families, and in the worst cases, following them to their residences. These malcontents would go to incredible lengths – stalking staff over social media, tracking travel patterns and attempting to create dossiers on their “targets.”

More than a few times, I had to report offenses to the Capitol Police for investigation. Sometimes, the actions prompted investments in new security measures that created additional barriers to access. But every time, it diminished the effectiveness of the activists’ message.

I won’t debate the rightness or wrongness of these tactics – because there is no debate. We as citizens have a right to redress grievances, to protest, to demonstrate and boycott when we see fit. We do not have a right to endanger others.

What I will express here is this: applying pressure in this way is the surest path to eliminating your access.

Advocates would do well to remember that politicians – even those with whom we disagree – are people first. When elected to office, you don’t sign away every bit of privacy with your oath. You definitely do not sign away your personal safety – not even a smidge.

This is a business of ideas and debate, not hatred and abuse. The debates are often heated, and mistakes will always be made. But willful actions like we saw on Sunday will harm your cause.

When representatives are forced to curtail their schedules, restrict access to their offices, and hire security, the only people who lose are advocates. Elected officials will do quite a bit to protect their staffs, and move mountains to defend their families. When you threaten either, those restrictive measures come easily.

There is a line, beyond which the pressure you are applying to a public official becomes a poison pill. Unfortunately some organizations are willing to take that pill to score a political point. I just wish they’d read the label because the side effects are pretty nasty.

What happened Sunday was unacceptable. Third party bystanders were recorded against their will – violating their privacy. A woman’s sense of security was eroded. And elected officials across the country are going to spend some time figuring out what new measures they need to consider to protect those closest to them.

So I’ll say it again: There is no “right” way to follow someone into a public restroom and record the event. Ever.