Disruption or Backfire? Roundtable Debates the Fallout from the State of the City Protest

On this week’s Radio Roundtable, Matt Wally, Guillermo Creamer, and Randy Feldman discuss whether protest tactics undermine their causes, how Etel Haxhiaj’s polarizing presence shapes the race, and what issues may decide the November election.

By Hank Stolz | Radio Worcester

(Photo-Radio Worcester)

WORCESTER, Mass.- On this episode of the Radio Roundtable on Talk of the Commonwealth, the conversation centers on the strategy’s effectiveness in disrupting public meetings and events. A single individual disrupted the City Manager’s State of the City address to the point that the Manager’s message was lost. The Roundtable, Matt Wally, Guillermo Creamer, and Randy Feldman point out that disruptions can be so annoying and poorly received that they become ineffective and work against serious protestors’ concerns. The Roundtable does not see calls for the City Manager to resign as an issue affecting the November election. The panel is divided on how much impact the arrest on Eureka St. will have on the upcoming election. Guillermo sees the actions of Councilor Etel Haxhiaj as solidifying her following and turning them out to vote in November, Randy feels that Etel Haxhiaj is such an intense and polarizing figure that she is running against herself, and Matt thinks that there is strong support for Jose Rivera and that issues besides ICE will determine the election

This article was sourced from a transcript of a recent interview conducted by Hank Stolz on the Radio Worcester program Talk of the Commonwealth.