Last night, I went live with Senator Cory Booker to talk about what happened to Senator Alex Padilla—and what it means for all of us.
Senator Padilla was violently manhandled, thrown to the ground, handcuffed, and detained for asking a question at a public hearing. As a career public defender, I’ve watched thousands of arrest videos. But this one? It made me physically ill. Watching a sitting United States Senator brutalized like that—just for speaking up—was terrifying.
And so I said to Senator Booker what so many of us are feeling:
If this can happen to a United States Senator, what does that mean for the rest of us—protesters, organizers, everyday people just trying to be heard?
Senator Booker didn’t mince words. He called it an assault—on Padilla’s dignity, on our democracy, and on the fabric of this nation. He reminded us that this kind of violence is meant to intimidate, to silence, and to distract us. Because while our attention is on this horror, they’re trying to quietly ram through the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill”—a massive tax giveaway to billionaires that would gut Medicaid, SNAP, and basic supports for millions of Americans.
We talked about the bigger picture:
– How authoritarianism doesn’t arrive overnight—it escalates like this.
– Why upcoming protests are critical.
– And what we must do to fight back, loudly and relentlessly.
Senator Booker’s message was clear:
“They want to overwhelm us. They want to make us afraid. Be brave and keep fighting.”
So we will.
Because silence is complicity.
And chaos is the point.
Don’t let it win.
P.S. I know I already posted yesterday—thank you for your grace. I couldn’t stay silent. Some things demand our voices, our outrage, and our action. I hope you’ll watch the whole video and share it.
P.P.S. If you care about this moment, I’m urging you to take 30 seconds—right now—and send a letter to your representative. Tell them you are NOT okay with these devastating Medicaid cuts. More than 80 million Americans rely on it. We cannot let them get away with this. Thank you! So grateful for all of you.
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