NC advocates host town hall to speak about issues that matter most to the Triangle

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Piedmont Rising, and coalition partners invited Senator Tillis to the public town hall: They got radio silence

RALEIGH, N.C. – Activists and community organizers from Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT), Piedmont Rising, and other community partners will hold a town hall to discuss reproductive justice, access to health care, immigrant and voting rights, and LGBT issues on Thursday, January 30, at 6pm at the Wicked Witch. Organizers of the event invited Senator Thom Tillis to speak about issues that matter most to the Triangle, but the Senator has not responded to their invitation.

Senator Tillis has long promised to create dialogue with constituents by holding town halls. But he has consistently fallen short on this promise and his constituents are noticing. When he does appear in front of constituents, the appearances are kept behind closed doors and are anything but public.

PPSAT has long requested statements from Senator Tillis on how he intends to protect access to healthcare and on a variety of other issues. His continued silence on the issues and his refusal to offer time to engage with constituents are building frustration among North Carolinians.

Concerned citizens will show up at the town hall on Thursday evening to express their views and hear from the speakers on a variety of topics. Speakers range from students to local advocates to community organization board members.

“We want our voices and our views to be heard by our elected officials, in fact it is critical to the democratic process. It’s clear to me that Senator Tillis does not find it important to address the issues or even show up to meet with his constituents. I am disappointed that Senator Tillis is unwilling to keep his word and listen to the voices of the constituents he represents.” - Dani Hoffpouir, Field Organizer for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and one of the organizers of the event.

“Thom Tillis has repeatedly voted to rob millions of Americans of their health insurance -- including 500,000 North Carolinians. We need our elected officials to stop working against us and start protecting our health care.” - Casey Wilkinson, Executive Director, Piedmont Rising.

As the NC House Speaker, Tillis held several town halls in 2011-2012. It’s clear now that he has made a conscious decision to stop participating in them to avoid interaction with his constituents.

PRESS CONTACT:

Jessica Coscia

jessica@piedmontrising.org

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