A group of Detroit-area Congressman Dave Trott’s (R-11th district) constituents tried again to meet with him on Tuesday.
And once again, they weren’t successful.
Some constituents accuse Trott of ducking meetings and public appearances since Donald Trump was elected.
He’s not the only Congressional Republican taking heat for that right now. But Trott’s office has become a regular target of organized protests, with critics calling him “Chicken Trott.”
When some constituents who have repeatedly tried to meet with Trott tried again at his Troy office building today, a staff member slammed the door on them. Then two Troy police officers arrived and stood in front of the door.
“They don’t want you guys here. You’re trespassing,” one officer told them.
That got an incredulous response from the constituents, who pointed out that Trott is a public servant paid with tax dollars.
But the officer held firm. “This building is private property,” he said, telling the group to contact Trott’s office first to voice concerns or set up an appointment.
But many said they had made numerous attempts to contact Trott’s office, and never got a response.
A sign taped to Trott’s office window reads: “At the recommendation or Capitol Police, we do not accept “walk-in” appointments or meetings.”
Trott is actually traveling with a Congressional delegation to India right now. But his angry constituents think he should be using the Congressional recess to come back to his district and hear their concerns, especially about Republicans' efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Julie Piazza said Trott’s recent “tele-town hall” wasn’t a real public forum.
“They pre-screen your questions, and nobody who had a hard question for him got on. It was like a bunch of softballs. That’s not a conversation,” Piazza said.
“I’m paying his salary, and he will not talk to me! That’s ridiculous. So we’re just going to have to keep showing up until he shows up.”
The regular protests are organized by a group called The Michigan People’s Campaign. They say Trott has not held “a public, in-district meeting in over 600 days.”
Trott spokeswoman Katie Vincentz said that’s not accurate, pointing to events like this one last September.
In an emailed statement, Vincentz said: “Rep. Trott always welcomes and wants input from all of his constituents. Since being elected, Rep. Trott has attended over 1,000 public events, including 40 public forums, town halls, and coffee talks. Rep. Trott’s office has resolved almost 1,000 constituent casework issues, held over 200 mobile office hours across the district, and in the last few weeks, Rep. Trott has sent over 6,500 written responses to constituents’ regarding their questions and concerns.”
