By Katherine Dailey, Michigan Advance
William Lawrence, Democratic congressional candidate in Michigan’s 7th District, is holding a 30-hour vigil and food drive outside of the district office of U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte), in protest of the expected lapse in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as SNAP, starting on Nov. 1.
Lawrence’s team is collecting food to donate to the Greater Lansing Food Bank, and as of about 1 p.m. Friday, had raised an additional $800 in online and cash donations since the vigil began, at that point about 19 hours prior.
“We’re here in front of Barrett’s office because he is responsible for the SNAP benefits expiring, along with the rest of the Congressional Republicans,” Lawrence said. “If he’s not going to do his part to keep Michigan families fed, we’re gonna do so.”
“Tom Barrett would rather take food from the hungry than provide care to the sick,” he added. “The easy solution here is to save the Affordable Care Act and keep necessary food assistance.”
“People are going through far worse,” Larence said as it started to rain. “I’m more than happy to sit in the cold for a few hours to call attention to the fact that other people are going hungry and are going bankrupt because of their medical bills. That’s what’s at stake here, and it’s a real pleasure to draw attention to these issues.”
Another Democrat in the race to unseat Barrett, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, stopped by the vigil, which will last until midnight on Friday, to donate food.
“I’m really happy to see all of the candidates come out in support of this, on the Democratic side, to call out Tom Barrett and ask him to show leadership with the Republicans in D.C., because all of these things are hurting the people of our community,” Brink said. “We should and we must take care of our most vulnerable.”
Kimberly Phillips, a retired nurse in the Lansing area, also brought food donations to Lawrence’s event.
“Whatever we can do to get food out there for people who need a helping hand,” she said as to why she came out.
Around Lawrence’s food drive, messages in chalk were scrawled on the sidewalk, which were there when Lawrence and his team arrived. The chalk messages were condemned by Barrett’s office in a statement, in which he said, “my congressional office in Lansing was vandalized by a group of trespassers during a political rally of left-wing activists.”
“There is a clear distinction between peaceful protest and harassment, and this failed attempt to intimidate me crossed a line and will not be tolerated,” he continued, adding that the vandalism had taken place during a rally held by Climate Action Campaign, Michigan Families for Fair Care, and Sierra Club Michigan.
Messages in chalk included “Don’t let our kids starve Tom!” and “Show your face Tom.”
Anjan Mukherjee, the spokesperson for Michigan Families For Fair Care, told the Advance in an email that the characterization by Barrett’s team ignores what they see as the pertinent issue.
“If Tom Barrett thinks that the biggest issue facing his constituents is a little bit of chalk — and not that he is shutting down the government to raise their health care prices and take away critical food assistance programs like SNAP — he should talk to more of them. But Barrett’s been MIA for months, which is why we went to his office in the first place. We’ll continue holding Barrett accountable for his anti-Michigander, anti-family agenda,” Mukherjee said.
Also responding was the Sierra Club of Michigan.
“The event the Sierra Club was a participant in had concluded, and we were not involved in the chalk ‘vandalism’ the Congressman is so concerned with. We are deeply concerned this is where the Congressman’s attention is at a time when Michigan families are already struggling to keep the lights on and heat their homes, and are fearful of going hungry and seeing healthcare costs skyrocket,” Elayne Coleman, Sierra Club Michigan chapter director, said in an email to the Advance.
Lawrence noted that he had not yet seen Barrett while hosting his food drive, but that the Congressman’s staff had called the police on Lawrence and his team, who were seated on public property.
This story was updated with comment from Michigan Families For Fair Care and the Sierra Club of Michigan.
Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jon King for questions: info@michiganadvance.com.
