Dem Commissioner's Daughter Arrested While Protesting Trump Speech
The daughter of an Ohio Democratic county commissioner who last year was accused of using vulgar language toward Trump supporters was arrested last week during President Donald Trump’s rally in Toledo.
Laura Gerken is the daughter of Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken, who, prior to Trump’s arrival, had chided the president to behave properly.
“I’d like you to do us a favor when you come to our building,” Pete Gerken said, according to Cleveland.com. “When you get on this stage, don’t talk in a way that promotes racism … don’t preach a message of hate. That is not who we are.”
Laura Gerken, who was protesting at the rally Jan. 9, was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, according to WTVG-TV in Toledo.
She was in a physical fight with another individual, police said.
The police report said Gerken, 36, was “in a highly emotional state and was yelling obscenities both at the person she was engaged in the confrontation with, officers, and passersby,” according to The Toledo Blade.
Laura Gerken, daughter of Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken, was arrested outside of Trump rally. https://t.co/rVRiWcPUvh pic.twitter.com/vpbMoLY9Hj
— The Blade (@toledonews) January 10, 2020
Her father issued a statement about his daughter’s arrest.
“All Americans have the right to free speech and to exercise their right to express their opinions,” he told The Blade. “The Toledo police department and all law enforcement professionals did a great job yesterday protecting everyone’s safety in the downtown area.
“Like so many other Americans, we feel strongly about the views of President Trump. We will deal with this issue as a family.”
Pete Gerken has been a county commissioner since 2005.
His daughter’s arrest at the Trump rally comes several months after he was accused of yelling obscenities at Trump supporters.
Last July, Ron Johns, coordinator of Toledoans for Trump, said Gerken called him and other group members “motherf—ers” at a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
“This was directed toward me. [And] I never met this guy. He was just yelling at us,” Johns said then, according to The Blade.
“Pete was visibly angry as he left the Warren speech. It seems as though he waited to approach us as about 2 minutes prior … Pete Gerken stormed by us in a blue shirt and black pants and yelled ‘some are sicker than others, mother—-ers.’ After that he just kept walking, visibly irritated,” a statement from Johns said.
“Most of us were extremely shocked anyone would talk to us that way, especially an elected official,” Johns said.
Gerken recalled some of the incident.
“I walked by and I said, ‘Some are sicker than others.’ It was in the middle of a raging storm. I don’t remember saying the M-word. I [also] don’t remember what they said in response, though there were angry words said to me. But I just kept on moving,” he said.
“But there is one thing I want to clarify,” Gerken said. “Regardless of the words that were exchanged, I do think that President Trump is a sick leader who is sickening our nation. Any comments were directed at Trump and not at the individuals at the rally. And I respect their right to free speech, and I hope they respect mine.”
Johns said the incident came as a shock.
“We were just surprised that a county commissioner would say this to us just because he disagrees with us. It was an extreme case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. We were just sitting there, holding American flags and Trump flags, supporting our president, who was duly elected,” he said.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
