“People like you have no [expletive] right to be heard. People like you have no right to say anything”
By Guy Page
Rebecca Pitre, the Republican/Libertarian candidate for the Vermont House in the Lamoille-3 District, was threatened by an unknown man at the Cambridge trash/recycling transfer station Saturday morning, August 27.
Pitre stated that the man expressed frightening outrage concerning untruths that were published on social media concerning her supposed views of the LGBTQ+ community.
“People like you have no [expletive] right to be heard,” the man reportedly raged, according to Pitre and other witnesses. “People like you have no right to say anything. You [expletive] Christians think you can say anything you want.”
Meeting voters at the town ‘dump’ is a time-honored, effective campaign tradition. But the threatening encounter is making Pitre reconsider Saturday morning at the dump, in order to prevent a tragedy. She says will be limiting her public appearances out of concern for her own safety and the general public’s.
Pitre’s need to keep a lower profile for safety’s sake could impact not only her own electoral chances, but the hopes of the Republican House caucus to gain enough seats to uphold Gov. Scott’s vetoes of legislation passed by the Democratic/Progressive supermajority.
The Lamoille-3 seat is an “open” seat – incumbent Lucy Rogers (D) is not a candidate. Until Rogers won election in 2018, the seat had for many years been held by Republicans, including Adam Howard and Rich Westman. Pitre, a Waterville resident, faces Lucy Boyden, who was raised on a family farm in Cambridge.
The seat is considered “in play” by both Democrats and Republicans.
According to Rebecca, she was sitting next to her political display, playing music and singing with a friend, an elderly man. A black truck pulled up and blocked the whole front of her tent. An unknown white male with dark hair approximately 40 years old jumped out of the truck and within seconds was standing over top of Rebecca screaming obscenities and hate speech. Rebecca’s husband Tom quickly approached the unknown man in an attempt to stop the verbal assault.
The unknown man’s aggressive actions toward all three – Rebecca, her husband Tom, and their elderly friend – went on for 2-3 minutes before he got back into his truck and fled the scene. A complaint was filed with the Vermont State Police, and the license plate number of the truck was reported to VSP.
Pitre supplied VDC with the following account:
I was sitting in a low wooden chair next to my friend, an elderly man. We were playing music and singing. At approximately a black truck pulled up long ways and parked in front of our tent.
A man got out and was over the top of me in seconds shouting obscenities and his anger about my supposed views about the LGBTQ+ community based on a false accusation that was posted on social media.
He said: ‘You have no [expletive] right to say the things you did about the LGBTQ community.‘
His rant included things like: ‘Who do you [expletive] think you are.’
I asked him if I could answer and he said: People like you have no [expletive] right to be heard. People like you have no right to say anything. You [expletive] Christians think you can say anything you want. I’m an atheist and I hate you [expletive] Christians spreading your [expletive] all over.
He bent over and screamed in my friend’s face saying: ‘What the [expletive] are you doing sitting here playing music.’ I politely said: ‘He’s a Democrat.’
I politely said: ‘I am a Republican/Libertarian.’ He said: ‘[Expletive] Libertarians have no right to be heard.’
All of this was screamed over me with his finger pointing in my face. I tried to ignore him, but he wouldn’t go away. I was embarrassed for the people around me and worried for their safety.
My husband quickly got up from behind the table and stepped in front of him and said: Get out of her face. He started screaming louder and we asked him if I could speak. It was clear by the continued verbal abuse that he had no intention of being civil.
My husband quickly walked over to the truck and took the picture of his license plate.
After 2-3 minutes of his continued rant, he got in his truck and left the scene.
A transfer station employee reportedly said the same unknown man had a similar altercation about a year ago with a customer who had religious emblems on his vehicle.