Tucson attack motivation for Berkley’s town hall event

By Delen Goldberg

Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.

The first person showed up Friday more than an hour before Rep. Shelley Berkley was scheduled to open the doors to her Las Vegas office. It was 7:45 a.m.

By 8:45 a.m., three dozen of the Democratic congresswoman’s constituents filled the lobby.

When she finally emerged at 9:20 a.m. to greet the crowd, it was standing room only — moms with babies, fathers and daughters and senior citizens.

Some came to complain about unemployment. Others asked for help with Social Security. A good number said they attended Friday’s “Congress on Your Corner” for the same reasons Berkley planned it: to honor Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and prove to themselves and others that a working democracy will continue despite the actions of one crazed man.

Giffords was shot in the head last weekend in Tucson when a gunman opened fire on her and some constituents during a similar “Congress on Your Corner” event. Six people died, including a 9-year-old girl with political ambitions, a federal judge and a handful of everyday citizens trying to do the right thing: express their concerns about government with words, not bullets. Fourteen people were injured.

On Friday, several people approached Berkley to thank her for holding the town hall, give her a hug and snap a picture. Police monitored the hallways and parking lot.

“We will not let anything interfere with our democracy,” Berkley told the crowd, which responded with cheers.

About 75 people showed up. It was a smaller turnout than past events, but certainly better attended than a typical weekday morning political meet-and-greet. More than 400 people turned out for a similar event in 2009, but the economy was still in free fall then and people were riled up about health care reform.

Lawrence Weise, a retired Air Force veteran, met with Berkley to ask for expanded services for people with mental problems. He said the shooting in Arizona prompted his request.

Because he has custody of a granddaughter who is mentally disabled, Weise said he understands the difficulties that can arise in such situations. When his granddaughter turned 18, “people told me she’s an adult, so she can do whatever she wants,” said Weise, who described his granddaughter as having the mental capacity of a 5-year-old and therefore being easily influenced. “That’s part of the problem that happened in Arizona. We need laws to help custodians.”

Ben Lambert, who lives in Berkley’s 1st Congressional District, had never attended a constituent meeting before Friday but felt compelled to attend this one.

Lambert lived in Washington, D.C., during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He scheduled a flight for Sept. 11, 2002, to remember the tragedy and honor the victims.

Decades earlier, when 13 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in a pipe bomb attack at Munich’s Oktoberfest, Lambert and his wife planned a trip to the same festival.

After the rampage in Tucson, he wanted to attend a “Congress on Your Corner.”

“We cannot let these people take control,” he said.