On February 10, Randy Thurston, former Pueblo City Council member, interrupted the Union Town Hall hosted by the Southern Colorado Labor Council to make inappropriate and bigoted comments, and campaign for “Pueblo Patriot” candidates for local offices.
Thurston, who was seated beneath a photograph of Dolores Huerta raising her fist in solidarity with the Colorado Steelworkers Strike in 1998, alleged in a lengthy statement that Denver was becoming a “sanctuary city.” He stated that union jobs in Colorado were at risk of being taken by “illegal immigrants” and went on to attempt to argue that Pueblo should not allow itself to also become a “sanctuary city.” He then made a tacit connection between immigration by Latin Americans and crime rates, stating emphatically—and over the protests of his audience—that lowering crime in Pueblo was the first step to creating a prosperous economy.
The Union Town Hall was hosted at the offices of Colorado WINS and was open to the public. The intention of Union Town Hall events is to allow local citizens, especially union members, to ask questions of their elected representatives. The representatives present were Nick Hinrichson (Senate District 3); Matt Martinez (House District 62); and Tisha Mauro (House District 46).
Randy Thurston attended the event with Christina Manzanares, a Republican candidate running against Representative Mauro for House District 46 this fall. When it was his turn to ask a question of the representatives, Thurston instead took the opportunity to embark on a several minutes-long statement which was obviously intended to serve as a Republican Party campaign speech.
As he made his allegations, Thurston was pressed by the Southern Colorado Labor Council, including its president Hilary Glasgow, to ask a proper question instead of making a speech. He was also denied the opportunity to elaborate on his racist rhetoric, with Glasgow insisting that the Labor Council would not tolerate bigoted statements in their building. Senator Hinrichson, to whom Thurston’s alleged question was initially directed, called for calm following Thurston’s claims. Once the room was quieted Hinrichson criticized Thurston for campaigning for “bumper sticker” solutions.
Thurston and Manzanares are both affiliated with the “Pueblo County Patriots”, a right-wing political activist group which partners with Evangelical churches, champions “Christian values” and claims to “fight against the Socialist Agenda.” Ahead of the February 10th Union Town Hall at the Colorado WINS office, there was at least one post on the Pueblo County Patriots Facebook group calling for individuals to attend and disrupt the event.
After Thurston’s lengthy statement, shorter statements were given by the other Republicans in attendance, which devolved into protests that they felt unwelcomed. The event ended shortly thereafter and Thurston and his group left quickly.
