{"id":2246614,"date":"2024-05-17T05:19:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T09:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gaza-protests-get-personal-as-lower-level-federal-officials-become-fair-game\/"},"modified":"2024-05-17T05:20:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T09:20:58","slug":"gaza-protests-get-personal-as-lower-level-federal-officials-become-fair-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gaza-protests-get-personal-as-lower-level-federal-officials-become-fair-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Lower-ranking government officials become targets in personal Gaza protests"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgaza-protests-get-personal-as-lower-level-federal-officials-become-fair-game%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2246614&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Pro-Palestinian protesters escalate actions \u2063by targeting officials at lower \u2062levels, venting frustrations outside homes. Recent\u200d events like the\u2062 protest at assistant\u2064 secretary Jessica Lewis&#8217;s residence highlight growing personalization of demonstrations. The efficacy and appropriateness of such protests\u2063 are under scrutiny, raising questions about their impact on policymaking. The practice of protesting at private residences\u2062 blurs lines of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-push-to-rein-in-big-tech-as-federal-gears-grind-slow\/\" title=\"States Push to Rein in Big Tech as Federal Gears Grind Slow\">free speech rights<\/a> in\u2063 public and private spaces.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Pro-Palestinian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/protests\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"protesters\">protesters<\/a> are looking for new avenues to make their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2449961\/senate-hearing-on-aid-to-israel-and-ukraine-dominated-by-pro-palestinian-protests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"protesters\">voices heard<\/a>, moving not only to the homes of government officials but now to mid-level managers.<\/p>\n<p>This week, a group bearing bullhorns gathered outside the home of Jessica Lewis, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-pauses-plan-to-offer-vaccines-to-guantanamo-bay-detainees\/\" title=\"Pentagon Pauses Plan To Offer Vaccines To Guantanamo Bay Detainees\">assistant secretary<\/a> for political-military affairs at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/state-department\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"State Department\">State Department<\/a>. The protesters shouted while holding up posters reading \u201c14,500+ children murdered thanks to Jessica Lewis\u201d and \u201cJessica Lewis you have blood on your hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Marisa Schultz\/Washington Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Police were called at 7:47 a.m. to her Capitol Hill home and soon broke up the disturbance as residents walked their children to school. <\/p>\n<p>The movement has grown increasingly personal in recent weeks as Congress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2973364\/what-is-in-the-95-billion-foreign-aid-bills-passed-by-the-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"approved further funding\">approved further funding<\/a> for Israel to advance its war against Hamas, which the protesters say has led to far too many civilian casualties. <\/p>\n<p>Georgetown University professor Michael Kazin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/02\/16\/protesting-public-officials-homes-00141766\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"told\">told<\/a> <em>Politico<\/em> in February that he couldn\u2019t \u201cthink of a demo held at the house of a cabinet official or leading senator\u201d before the modern era. That story was about protesters camping outside Secretary of State Antony Blinken\u2019s home.<\/p>\n<p>Blinken is not an elected official and serves at the pleasure of President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Joe Biden\">Joe Biden<\/a>. But some protesters are now targeting people at an even lower level who they feel have a role to play in Israel\u2019s war campaign. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdvocates are looking for more ways to draw more attention to their issue and to their cause, and one way to do it is to find a new way, a new thing to do,\u201d Peter Loge, a political communications professor at George Washington University, said. \u201cTwo dozen people on the National Mall protesting is a regular Thursday afternoon in Washington, D.C. Going to someone\u2019s house is different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The practice has become somewhat less different in recent years, though the target is usually a very high-level public official. Protesters set up outside of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh\u2019s house in 2021, for example, drawing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2073719\/gop-and-democratic-senators-condemn-protests-at-kavanaugh-residence-over-texas-abortion-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"bipartisan rebuke\">bipartisan rebuke<\/a>. The next year, more than 100 immigrants bused from Texas were<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2873604\/migrants-bused-to-kamala-harriss-home-reveal-final-destinations-after-being-sent-to-washington-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\" dropped off\"> dropped off<\/a> in front of Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grave-and-statue-of-economist-adam-smith-flagged-for-slavery-and-colonialism-in-scotland\/\" title=\"Grave And Statue Of Economist Adam Smith Flagged For \u2018Slavery And Colonialism\u2019 In Scotland\">official residence<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There are two questions to consider, Loge says, when it comes to protests at someone\u2019s private home. One is whether it\u2019s appropriate, and the other is whether it\u2019s effective. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand why they would do it; I think it\u2019s a tactic,\u201d he said. \u201cStrategically, if you want to change people\u2019s minds or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/erickson-reconciliation-will-happen-just-not-now\/\" title=\"ERICKSON: Reconciliation Will Happen, Just Not Now\">change public policy<\/a> I\u2019m not sure it has a great effect [in Lewis\u2019s case]. Assistant secretaries don\u2019t have any policymaking power. You\u2019re not talking to the decision maker, but you\u2019re making noise at somebody who talks to somebody who talks to the decision maker.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Marisa Schultz\/Washington Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Washington, D.C., police spokesman Lee Lepe said there were no arrests outside Lewis\u2019s home and that \u201cPD continues to monitor for First Amendment activities throughout the District.\u201d A State Department spokesperson said, \u201cOur position on the right to peaceful protest is well known. We refer you to local law enforcement for further information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Protesting at a public place such as the Capitol, National Mall, or White House is generally seen as a protected First Amendment activity. Lines get blurred when it comes to private residences, especially those in busy neighborhoods. The Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance in 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2021-09-14\/la-city-council-passes-strict-law-over-protesting-outside-residences\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"banning\">banning<\/a> protests within 300 feet of a targeted residential dwelling.<\/p>\n<p>Pro-Palestinian protesters have been particularly intense since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks sparked the latest round of conflict in Israel. <\/p>\n<p>They have trailed Biden nearly everywhere he goes since that date, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/biden-genocide-joe-philadelphia-protesters-israel-war\">fundraisers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/free-palestine-protesters-interrupt-bidens-stroll-through-nantucket\">family vacations<\/a>, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/pro-palestinian-protesters-rosalynn-carter-tribute-service\">funerals<\/a>. Last month, a group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/2969223\/anti-israel-protesters-tried-to-keep-biden-up-at-night-with-genocide-joe-chants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"camped out at Biden's hotel\">camped out at Biden\u2019s hotel<\/a> in Scranton, Pennsylvania, chanting for three hours late at night, blasting rap music and banging on drums in an effort to keep him from sleeping. <\/p>\n<p>Demonstrators at Blinken\u2019s house have yelled at his children while pouring out gallons of fake blood, <em>Politico<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/02\/16\/protesting-public-officials-homes-00141766\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"reported\">reported<\/a>. More broadly, demonstrators have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2966967\/multiple-pro-palestinian-protesters-arrested-for-blocking-traffic-to-chicagos-ohare-airport\/\">blocked traffic<\/a> in major cities and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenFettermanPA\/status\/1780226804990480419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1780226804990480419%7Ctwgr%5Ead7792f358a03b8a38083ace432567612fad6726%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpolitics%2F2969023%2Ftom-cotton-stands-by-comment-moving-pro-hamas-lunatics-off-the-highway%2F\">paraded<\/a> through retail stores in support of their cause.<\/p>\n<p>As the Israel-Hamas war drags on, those groups may continue seeking out new ways to make sure everyone knows who they are. Loge said it\u2019s important to balance the need to protest with the need to have real conversation rather than shouting. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/barack-obama\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Barack Obama\">Barack Obama<\/a> made a similar point when pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted a joint fundraiser he was hosting with Biden and Bill Clinton.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere\u2019s the thing,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t just talk and not listen. Because that\u2019s part of democracy. Part of democracy is not just talking \u2014 it\u2019s listening. \u2026 That\u2019s what the other side does.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pro-Palestinian protesters widen scope, targeting mid-level officials like Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary at the State Department. Demonstrators with bullhorns and posters gathered outside her home to amplify their voices this week<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2246615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24090782703541.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2246614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24090782703541.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2246614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2246615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2246614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2246614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2246614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}