There was a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that discussed the rising fear that House Republicans and their staff face may face violence as the protests against the Affordable Care Act repeal intensify.
Rep. David Reichert, a former county sheriff, as invited to the meeting to provide safety measure suggestions the staffers and the Republicans should use, Politico reported on Wednesday.
Reichert suggested having an exit strategy at town halls, maintaining a police presence at the town halls, and replacing glass doors with a heavier alternative.
He also told them to be friendly and nice to protesters because of their First Amendment right to protest what they don't agree with.
The Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker (R., N.C.) said that they also discussed how being receptive and careful were important to safeguarding their welfare.
"The message was: One, be careful for security purposes," he said. "Watch your back. And two, be receptive. Honor the First Amendment, engage, be friendly, be nice. Because it is toxic out there right now. Even some of the guys who have been around here a lot longer than I have, have never seen it to this level."
During the meeting the Republicans went over strategies of engagement towards Democratic activists to make sure that they feel like their opinions and concerns were being heard by the other party.
It was said that interactions should be conducted in a "'congenial' manner."
The closed-door meeting was spurred by the increase of Democratic activists nationwide amping up the amount of protests there are. These protests primarily are held against the repeal of Obamacare, and have resulted in disruptions at town hall events held mostly by Republicans.
One protest resulted in Rep. Tom McClintock (R., Calif.) having to be escorted out of the town hall "by a half-dozen police officers after the crowd turned angry."
The Arizona Daily Star reported another incident on Tuesday, where more than a hundred protesters turned up at the Congressional office of Rep. Martha McSally (R., Ariz.).
Final headcount for today's @RepMcSally protest - 125. #AZ02 pic.twitter.com/6LG3tv6Gvs
— Joe Ferguson (@joeferguson) February 7, 2017