In her five decades as a voter, Terry Wise had never been to a town hall held by her elected representatives. But after last week's massacre at two New Zealand mosques, the 69-year-old retiree felt heartbroken and frustrated about the prospect of passing stricter gun regulations here in the United States.
"I feel helpless to get anything going in a meaningful way," she said.
So on Wednesday, she went with friends to a middle school auditorium in Maple Grove to see what Rep. Dean Phillips had to say about the issue.
It didn't take long. Within minutes of taking the stage, before any questions were asked, the freshman Democrat brought it up himself. He cited the House's passage of a bill on universal background checks as an early win.
"I am hopeful, I am optimistic," he said. "I want you to know to keep the faith."
Gun control was among the hot-button topics on the minds of the 200 or so constituents who turned out. Some shared stories about the impact that the health care and immigration systems have had on their lives and communities. Others wanted to advocate for major changes to electoral politics. Several expressed concerns about local Liberians set to lose their legal status to remain in the United States when the deferred enforced departure program ends March 31.
"I'm doing everything humanly possible, because there is no more important mission in the next two weeks than trying to protect the Liberian community," said Phillips, citing encouraging meetings with the White House and congressional colleagues.
On immigration, Eden Prairie resident Nikhil Joshi bemoaned his long path to permanent legal residency. Several questions later, Christopher Rouse, 17, of Plymouth pressed Phillips to support President Donald Trump's proposed border wall.
