Gingrich security harasses Ron Paul supporter, stomps on his toes

news.yahoo.com...

Dillard, a 29-year-old Ron Paul supporter from this suburb near Orlando, arrived to vote at his precinct at Winderemere Baptist Church early Tuesday morning. Pulling into the parking lot, Dillard noticed a man outside the polling place with a Gingrich sign. He decided to run home, slip into his "Ron Paul Rocks America" T-shirt, grab a "Ron Paul 2012" sign from his garage, and return to give his candidate some representation outside the precinct after he cast his vote.

Little did Dillard know, this precinct was going to be Gingrich's first Primary Day campaign stop. When Dillard came back, he stood on a sidewalk with his Ron Paul sign. It wasnt really the best spot once Newt showed up

When Gingrich's bus pulled up, Dillard stood silently holding his sign and watched the news-media horde swamp the candidate. Gingrich stepped down from the bus and made a beeline for Dillard. He stopped in front of Dillard and his sign and parked himself for a round of handshaking and pictures with voters. The placement couldn't have been worse. There was Gingrich, standing with his wife Callista at their first event of the day, and a giant Ron Paul sign floated inches from their crowns.

It didnt take long until security swarmed Dillard.

Noticing the awkward optics, Gingrich aides and security personnel swarmed Dillard, trying to intimidate him into moving. One of Gingrich's security agents stepped in front of him. When Dillard didn't budge, the agent lifted his heeled shoe over Dillard's bare foot and dug the back of it into his skin, twisting it side-to-side like he was stomping out a cigarette. Shocked, Dillard kept his ground and took a picture of the agent with his phone, which was quickly knocked out of his hand. Dillard slipped off his flip-flop to pick up the phone with his foot, and a Gingrich supporter kicked the sandal away.

"Don't kick me!" Dillard said to the man who knocked away his sandal. More members of Gingrich's security retinue approached, shoving their shoulders and chests in front of him.

"Just block him!" a Gingrich campaign aide said. "Everyone step on his toes!"

The article didnt say the first security guard asked Dillard to move, but instead just stepped infront of him. If it is true that the guard didnt ask him to move and just proceeded to step on his toes, isnt that a case of assault? I would think that the guards would of first tried to grab his arms or shoulders, and push him away, instead of just stomping on his feet?

Im a RP supporter , but this is the security people being d...ks, not Newt.

Newt is enough of a scumbag all on his own doing, we cant blame him for his peoples doings.

Just as some over zealous RP supporters do things that while well meaning, cast a shadow.

Newt probably would have been against this. I think this is more of a show of our time that we live in today. people get aggrivated and physical when they feel their right to elect the official they want into office could be undermined.

it's not like this incident would create an aggitated Ron Paul crowd. we know where we stand and we'll keep moving toward the goal ( Ron Paul for president ).

reply to post by Tw0Sides


Why did he have to pick his phone up with his foot??

"If we did this to you, you guys would be furious," said an aide before stomping back toward the bus. "They have no class. No class."

The aide kinda has a point.

Good for him for standing his ground and representing his right to practice the First Amendment. As for the story, I don't know what to think. I can't imagine that kind of disrespect for a potential voter of his part. (Except Ron Paul supporters don't tend to change their candidate

I hope they post the video and it goes viral, these bastards will never get the presidency, I would rather have Obama over this fool, as much as I dislike him.

we cant blame him for his peoples doings.

um, they work for him, they got orders to do these things. if the security were dicks, how he hell they get jobs in the first place? im not buying the whole, dont blame newt story

reply to post by jazzguy


I highly doubt Newt himself gives out orders. It is the people behind the scenes that make all of the decisions. They probably even tell Newt what to say at times. All of the dirty work decisions are from his friends in low places.

Sounds like more of us need to show up and keep the scumbags around Newt and Romney half way honest. This IS America, not some banana republic playing election day for a dictator. If Newt's security team is incapable of understanding the nation they're in, they're welcome to get out of it any time. Newt can go WITH them for all I care.

Go Paul! Now....lets all make sure (and I'm dead serious) no one goes to anything remotely political without a camera phone at the least and a one-shot type camera in a belt holster as a preferred thing. Enough of this heavy handed crap. Security isn't a license to violate the rights of citizens like it's a big game.

bunch of bs. its still america for now we still have the freedom of speech and the right to at least hold a sign! whether or not newt approves of these tactics is irrelevant, his security represents him and by no means should be assaulting any one. as far as the comment if we did this to you blah blah blah its dont to ron paul daily by the MSM, Paul supporter our known to be rambunctious but they by no means do they actually represent paul, and can't recall anytime they have physically injured some one, and im sure ron paul's security isn't going around assaulting people either. this was just a foresight as to what to expect if newt gets elected. beatings for all , all hail supreme leader newt. RONPAUL2012!!!

If someone stepped on my toes, I would not be responsible for what happened to them next. Then again it might not hurt me at all.

I NEVER wear flip-flops or sandals. Almost always wear steel toes. My work shoes are steel toe mocs.

Steel Toe Mocs

Protective clothing goes a long way toward keeping the weather off and preventing injury. I think he should have better protected his feet. And then punched the security guy in the throat after he stomped his foot.

Originally posted by kawika
Protective clothing goes a long way toward keeping the weather off and preventing injury. I think he should have better protected his feet. And then punched the security guy in the throat after he stomped his foot.

I am really surprised no one from Law Enforcement has mentioned this...so I suppose I will. Aside from my general outrage on another post here, I'd hasten to add that DOING anything about it was exactly the WORST thing the guy could have done. That was likely the whole point.

My father described this too me when I was a kid and he was a cop...I've heard other cops describe exactly the same technique though and it's simple. You grind someone's insole or just their foot if it's bare like this...and DO NOT LOOK DOWN while you're doing it. No one else will, either. When the guy it's being done TO finally reacts......like punching the security guard to get the pain to stop...ALL the crowd around sees is a seemingly unprovoked outburst of violence against a security official or cop.....and nothing more.

No provocation. No foot grinding. No one else thinks to even look for it, if it's done right. That reaction is what security/police are waiting for, so they can then pound the guy into a bloody smear across the pavement and EVERYONE standing nearby will SWEAR security was forced to do it..and who knows WHY the crazy man snapped like that?!

Oh the games they play......but falling into a trap like this can be a life changing experience, first realized from the bed of an ICU ward.

Originally posted by LoonyConservative
reply to post by Tw0Sides

 

Why did he have to pick his phone up with his foot??

"If we did this to you, you guys would be furious," said an aide before stomping back toward the bus. "They have no class. No class."

The aide kinda has a point.

Not really.

#1. The man did not know it was going to be a Gingrich campaign stop.

#2. The man is an Individual. He is not a reflection of some coordinated effort to place Paul supporters at Gingrich events.

#3. They could have asked him politely to move. He might have even agreed to do so. We will never know, cause he was never asked.

#4. All of this gives no right for a campaign aide to tell people to assault an Individual.

I'm for Ron Paul, but really, what was this guys reason for dragging his Ron Paul sign to put in front of Newt? I in fact was interviewed by public radio today after voting. Isn't that a better way to make a statement than stampeding around?

After re reading the article, it saddens me to see such brutal confrontational tactics.

reply to post by kawika


Everyone wears flip flops in Florida. It's just what we do.