More than 300 people describing themselves as concerned citizens of the 6th District of Illinois demonstrated outside the Palatine Township Republican Organization office early Saturday morning while U.S. Rep. Peter J. Roskam spoke at a meeting inside.
The meeting, originally advertised as "free and open to the public," was changed to a "members only" gathering on Feb. 1. Action 6th District organizers said they speculate the meeting was closed because Roskam learned they wanted to speak with him. Organizers countered that, saying they had a "packed house" of 110 members and would welcome the demonstrators if they became part of the township Republican organization.
"This is in no way targeting the Palatine Republicans holding the meeting," said Carolynne Funk, a member of the Action 6th District. "We do not want in any way to disrupt their meeting. We would just like to have access to our representative. We can no longer accept that he refuses to hold town hall meetings or meet with constituents who may disagree with his voting record. The stakes are now too high to tolerate being shut out of the democratic process any longer."
The closed door meeting comes just four days after Roskam’s staff in his West Chicago district office abruptly canceled a meeting with16 constituents who had arranged to meet with them about their concerns over a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The constituents were told they would have to reschedule after staff realized a member of the press was present. According to Roskam’s communications director, David Pasch, that meeting is being rescheduled.
"He will not meet with groups other than donor groups or people who share his extremist ideology," said Funk, an Arlington Heights psychologist and Lake Zurich resident, who was joined at the demonstration by her partner and four children. "He’s been very, very evasive and allusive."
Roskam disagrees.
"I would respond by pointing out that in 2016 alone, I had 147 meetings, events and award presentations, 74 meetings at the district office, 30 roundtable discussions, 21 school visits, 107 other site visits to local businesses, hospitals, nonprofits, 113 different speaking engagements and 11 tele-town halls," Roskam said, speaking before the meeting. "I’m here, engaging in the debate and will continue to do so to do my best to reflect my constituents."
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Rep. Peter Roskam, of Wheaton, a six-term incumbent with a high profile and fundraising muscle in a reliably Republican district, would not be the target of the House Democrats’ campaign arm in normal times.
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Rep. Peter Roskam, of Wheaton, a six-term incumbent with a high profile and fundraising muscle in a reliably Republican district, would not be the target of the House Democrats’ campaign arm in normal times.
But Roskam is alone among the state’s seven Republican congressmen in that he won another…
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He said he was aware the demonstration was going to happen and described it as "part of life’s rich tapestry." He said he wasn’t going to go into the parking lot to engage in a discussion with demonstrators who outside chanted, "Peter Roskam has to go," and held signs that said, "Keep the ACA" and "Repeal and Replace Roskam."
Roskam, a Wheaton resident, is in his sixth term since being elected in 2006 to represent 800,000 constituents in a district that covers parts of Cook, Lake, Kane, DuPage and McHenry counties. He is the chairman for the tax policy subcommittee of the Ways & Means Committee and has been a vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act, also known as ACA.
"What our country is sorting out is how to deal with the passage of the ACA, which promised health care costs would go down, people could keep their coverage and keep their doctors, none of those things have turned out to be true," Roskam said.
He said he’s been meeting with ACA proponents but added, "There’s a lot of people hurting under Obamacare." He wants to work to reconstruct the plan in a thoughtful way, he said.
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A group of 16 constituents that arranged to meet with staff members at the West Chicago district office of U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton) Wednesday about their concerns with a repeal of the Affordable Care Act were abruptly told they would have to reschedule after staff realized a member of…
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"I’m here, engaging in the debate and will continue to do my best to reflect my constituents," he said.
The gathering was essentially peaceful, with only one arrest being made by police, Palatine police Cmdr. Mike Vargas said. No information was released on the person arrested or if he was charged.
Organizers said repeal of the ACA was a cheif concern for many demonstrators, including Funk. Her 11-year-old daughter suffered a devastating stroke at the age of 9 and with her pre-existing condition, she would be uninsurable without the protection of the ACA because she and her partner are self-employed, she said.
"(Roskam) says it should be replaced but there is no comprehensive plan on what that replacement will look like," Funk said. "He seems to be aligning himself completely with the Donald Trump agenda, which is terrifying and completely out of mainstream American values. He came out in support of the blatantly unconstitutional and un-American ban on immigrants that’s not reflective of the beliefs and values of people in this community."
Roskam described Trump’s implementation of his immigration control plan as "bumpy" but that he was "sympathetic to what he’s trying to do to protect the U.S. from terrorist attacks."
Many demonstrators said Roskam has a history of not holding public meetings and his telephone town halls are difficult for constituents to participate in.
"We found in-person town halls were inconvenient and not a lot of people showed up but thousands of people call in and he doesn’t shy away from the issues," said Pasch, noting the next telephone town hall is scheduled for Feb. 13. "They’re open to anyone and thousands call in. People call in and ask questions, and he goes back and forth with them."
According to Pasch, Roskam has "one of the busiest district schedules," recently meeting with the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans in January, a pro-ACA group that shared concerns about repealing and replacing the law. In addition, he is also planning a series of tax code discussions across the district next Thursday to get public input on changes to the tax code.
Many demonstrators Saturday said they have been spurred to political action because they feel the game has changed. That’s also why Action 6th District has partnered with other organizations such as Action for a Better Tomorrow, Indivisible DuPage and Indivisible Barrington, who also participated in the demonstration, organizers said.
Pam Phillips, 41, of Arlington Heights, was one of those demonstrators who never felt a need to be active before.
"The inequality and the hate being spread is horrible, especially when we’re trying to teach our kids everybody matters, kindness matters," she said. "It’s heartbreaking." She brought along her daughter, Ella, to participate in the demonstration.
"People are not doing the right thing," said Ella Phillips, 91/2 , when asked why she was at the demonstration. "They are banning people, the Republicans."
Another demonstrator, Pat Slavik, 80, of Barrington, said "it’s not fair" what’s happening to others her age.
"I call his office and he doesn’t call me back," said Slavik, who attended the protest with her daughter.
"I’m ecstatic to see this turnout in Palatine," said Joyce Slavik, 52, of Palatine. "This makes me proud. I’m happy to see we could have real change in Palatine."
Leonard Ciani, 72, of Palatine, who attended the Roskam meeting, joked he was going to go out to the parking lot with a clipboard to sign up new members for the Palatine Township Republican Organization.
"I feel they’re all misinformed," said Ciani, who noted he recently reached out to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s office asking why the senators weren’t working. "It’s not just the Republicans who don’t show or respond."
Although this is their first demonstration, members of Action 6th District said there may be others.
"We will be where he is," Funk said. "If he doesn’t create an event, we will continue to go where he is."
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
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