WASHINGTON (KFGO/KVRR) — Safety concerns are a topic of discussion once again after Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was assaulted at a town hall meeting in Minneapolis.
The suspect was arrested for a third-degree assault charge, but North Dakota Representative Julie Fedorchak says it should never have happened.
“I absolutely condemn any sort of political violence, any acts like that against elected leaders or anyone. We shouldn’t have to endure that,” Fedorchak says.
Fedorchak says she was once assaulted by a gang of youths in Washington, D.C. Since then, she has increased her security.
“When you see the threats even to the state legislators and the killings of those two state legislators in Minnesota about a year ago, I mean, it’s really scary. And kind of takes your breath away, so you have to take these threats seriously, at the same time, be as successful as you can,” said Fedorchak.
In Fargo, city commissioners shared concerns about safety after a knife was brought into a meeting. Fargo Police Capt. Travis Moser said that there is now a minimum requirement to have two police officers at city commission meetings.
“It’s a public assembly where people have the lawful right to go, right. So we can’t just stop people because we know who they are or we’re making perceptions about their past. We still have to allow them to attend the meeting. But we also encourage our officers if you feel the need to have a good conversation, go have a friendly conversation with the person,” Moser said..
The FBI is leading the investigation into the assault on Omar.
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