6/10/14, "Demonstrators cause fracas after Eric Cantor concession speech," WTVR.com, CBS 6, Alix Bryan, Richmond, Va.
"Immediately after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor exited the room following his concession speech, a group of political demonstrators stormed inside, at the Westin Hotel off Forest Avenue.
They came in shouting and waving a large flag, along with a red shirt printed with the name CASA De Virginia.
The group defines itself as a community organization that protects civil rights, according to their Twitter page.
Several skirmishes occurred as the crowd shouted swarmed into the room. Someone in the group knocked the glasses off of a Cantor supporter’s face. Another Cantor supporter was put in a choke hold, seemingly by someone trying to remove her from the room.
Plates of food were tipped over and demonstrators were also pushed around. At this time it doesn’t seem as though any arrests were made.
“Eric Cantor lost because he was a pretend tea partier,” said Lindolfo Carballo, Lead Organizer for CASA de Virginia and leader of this evening’s protest. “But voters, faith and business leaders, and more all agree that we need a real leader to end the suffering of our families.”
CASA De Virginia is a sister organization of CASA in Action, that fights for immigration rights. CASA in Action had an organized presence at Ken Cuccuinelli headquarters in 2013 while the candidate and supporters awaited gubernatorial results.
That night, an unidentified man stepped onto the stage at the Richmond Marriott and started shouting about immigration reform. Shortly after, a group of demonstrators from CASA In Action started chanting as well and passing out fliers about immigration reform.
Cantor, House Majority Leader, was running for an eighth term in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, against Tea-Party backed economics professor Dave Brat."
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6/10/14, "Chaos erupts at Cantor election night headquarters after his departure," Washington Post, Laura Vozzella, Richmond
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| 6/10/14, Cantor HQ |
"As if the political drama were not powerful enough, chaos erupted at election night headquarters shortly after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor conceded his stunning defeat to tea party-backed conservative David Brat.
Cantor addressed his supporters for about four minutes at a suburban Richmond hotel ballroom, then boarded an SUV without taking questions from reporters scurrying after him.
Then it got really rambunctious. In the room of downcast Cantor allies, a new energy suddenly erupted — but not the kind they wanted on election night. A group of immigration activists stormed the ballroom, screaming and waving a flag. “What do we want? Immigration reform! When do we want it? Now!”
A few Cantor supporters tried to block the protesters’ entrance into the ballroom, and pushing and shoving ensued. And before they reached the microphone, one Cantor supporter threw his glass of wine at a female protester. She swore at him in return.
A hotel employee took the microphone Cantor had used and told the protesters in Spanish that the police were on their way.
Upon arrival, police told the protesters that they would be arrested if they did not leave immediately.
Another Spanish-speaking man who was with the protesters told them that they had made their point and should follow the police direction to leave.
They did so, but in the parking lot a Cantor supporter yelled, “Get a job!” to an immigration reform advocate who was wrapped in an American flag." via Free Rep.
Image: "Steve Helber/AP - Immigration reform supporters crash Rep. Cantor’s election watch party after he leaves the ballroom."
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