Confused protesters rioted in opposition to reauthorization of the perhaps awkwardly-named "Violence Against Women Act," Thursday morning, believing the bill's renewal, H.R. 4271, will define when it is legal to beat women. Angry Texans smashed windows and destroyed furniture in the Rayburn House Office Building as they demanded an audience with their congressional representative, Silvestre Reyes. Originally signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, the legislation provides a variety of services aimed at curtailing rape and domestic abuse, and providing legal aid and other assistance for female victims of violence.
But the swarm of indignant west Texans marched into the Rayburn Building, aghast that the federal government is "wasting God-knows-how-much of my money legalizing and endorsing violence on our women!?" said native El Paso resident and taxpayer Britney Katz.
With the essentially non-controversial legislation's 2012 reauthorization pending, the scores of angry Texans arrived from the state's 16th congressional district. The 16th is the westernmost district in Texas, bordering both New Mexico and Mexico. It is represented by Reyes, one of 41 co-sponsors of Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012.
David Pittman, an El Paso County high school biology teacher, said he was particularly disappointed to learn his Representative was among the co-sponsors, because he supported Reyes in the 2010 election.
Rep. Reyes was rendered nearly speechless, as he and his staff tried to locate a single belligerent yet coherent sign-waver who would let him explain the bill works for the precise opposite of everything they were screaming against.
"Against! It's against violence!" sputtered the eight-term congressman from behind four US Capitol Police officers, outside his second floor office. "The Act fights against, violence that is committed against women!"
"Yeah, I heard what he said," said a skeptical Kent Regis, 32, who works in the restaurant inside El Paso's historic Plaza Theatre, and drove to Washington with three co-workers. "Pols, they'll change with the wind. Now, all of a sudden, now violence against 50 percent of his constituents, now it's a bad thing, the congressman says. Like we're going to forget that he is still a sponsor."
Many Republicans, even those understanding that the Violence Against Women Act in no way supports or encourages violence against women, say the legislation is still bad for America. Prominent conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly said the legislation encourages "divorce, breakup of marriage and hatred of men," reported the New York Times.
But you didn't need to tell protester Martha Newman that. The mother of seven also conceded, and regretted, that she was part of the more than 82% who voted for Reyes in his most recent re-election.
"I'm here for myself and my four little girls," said Newman, who has herself been the victim of domestic abuse by three of her children's fathers. "I have never been politically involved, but when I heard people were coming to stand up to domestic abuse, I knew I had to be part of ending the Violence Against Women Act."
