‘Gaslit & Off the Rails’: Dean Phillips’ First Town Hall in N.H.

The recent tragedy involving the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has brought to light many important topics in politics and policy. Dean Phillips, a newly-elected member of the United States House of Representatives in Minnesota, hosted his first town hall on Sunday in order to discuss the issue. Unfortunately, the event did not go according to plan, resulting in some major issues needing to be addressed. The town hall opened with Phillips attempting to explain the importance of understanding the history of police brutality. He attempted to explain why a police officer may kill, citing the possibility of his fear or anger, but then quickly changed his tone as audience members began to express concern. Controversy ensued, and Phillips began gaslighting the audience, attempting to deflect the anger and accusations. One of the main issues that was discussed at the town hall was the need for police reform. As Phillips continued to talk, he was met with resistance from the audience. He pushed for a few ideas, like more mental health training for police officers and additional funding for equipment. However, he was met with the suggestion of defunding the police. To this, he responded saying it is a “world of difference”, and that it is a “false choice” between defunding the police and investing in police reform. The audience found this to be a highly unsatisfactory response, leading to Phillips becoming increasingly defensive. He then went on to make an apology for his remarks, saying that he had misunderstood the original question. However, the damage had already been done and Phillips was accused of “avoiding the question” and “gaslighting” the audience members. It became clear that Phillips was not prepared to handle the highly charged issue discussed at the town hall. Despite his apology, it may not be enough to regain the trust that he had lost from the audience. In order to move forward on the issue of police reform, he needs to take a more proactive approach and come up with a plan of action that includes more input from the community. Hopefully Phillips will take this latest incident as a learning experience and use it to further reform the policing system.