Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A large demonstration was held outside of an area congressman’s Lansing office on Monday.

Nearly 250 constituents from throughout the 7th Congressional District demonstrated outside of Republican Representative Tom Barrett’s office, while a small group met with his staff regarding concerns with Trump administration policies and Billionaire Elon Musk.

Barrett is a former state senator and veteran who was elected to Congress last November in a competitive race. The seat was formerly held by Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who moved up to the U.S. Senate.

The Livingston County Democratic Party issued the following in a press release:

“The crowd chanted “Town Hall Now,” “Save Our Democracy,” and “Fire Musk,” and held signs protesting cuts to Medicaid, education, and more that would pay for tax cuts for the rich. Meanwhile, five constituents met inside with the Barrett staff where they said they could hear the chants of the crowd”.

Janice Foster, a small business owner from Green Oak Township, stated “I spoke with Representative Barrett’s staff about how tariffs are going to kill small business and the automotive business in Michigan. We need the legislative branch to stand up against Trump and reclaim their power”.

Cherie Mollison of Iosco Township “spoke to the staff about the haphazard way cuts are being done and the crippling effect it will have on the work the federal government does to keep Americans safe”.

Other Livingston County residents were said to have addressed how children would be hurt by the potential elimination of the Department of Education and the impact of cuts in research funding on vital health research. They also each left behind written summaries of “the harmful effects they are seeing”.

Afterward, Mollison said the discussion was civil and appeared to open the door to more discussions in the future. She said” there appeared to be a guarantee that special education funding would be protected, but beyond that she said the staff mainly repeated Republican talking points”.

While the crowd outside was demanding a town hall, Mollison said the staff position was that a town hall where Barrett was being shouted at “would not be productive.”

Constituents at the protest came from throughout Livingston, Ingham, Shiawassee, Clinton, and Eaton counties. At its peak, the crowd lined the sidewalk along both sides of the street in front of Barrett’s office near the Capitol.

WHMI has reached out to Barrett’s office for comment.

There was a separate protest consisting of more than 100 people last Friday, also outside of Barrett's Lansing office.

The following statement was provided from Barrett to the Lansing State Journal:
“The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. My team and I are committed to hearing the concerns of every person in our community, while also serving those who need our help with casework and dealing with federal agencies. This critical work will continue in both my Washington, D.C. and Lansing offices.”

Photos: Livingston County Democrats Facebook.