2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: "Why are they protesting their allies?" [View all]HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)I don't think the other organizers knew. Since the event was in Phoenix, there was to be an emphasis on immigration during the Town Hall. That's why an undocumented immigrant journalist was picked to moderate. The candidates showed up expecting to talk about immigration, and the audience showed up expecting to hear the candidates position on immigration. If the organizers knew the event was going to be hijacked by self-aggrandizing protesters, they likely wouldn't havegone to the trouble.
The protesters were included as participants in a well-attended panel discussion earlier that morning. They weren't being ignored or brushed off by the events organizers. They were just determined to disrupt and get their faces on camera. It wouldn't have mattered one bit what the candidates said. And judging by comments before and after, there appears to be a bit of "put whitey in his place" motivation. Specifically, tweet from the Media Director beforehand saying "White Progressives are gonna be taught a lesson" , and statement from BLM afterwards that the candidates "didn't humble themselves enough".