Sept. 8, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: Your Sept. 3 editorial, “Points of Decorum on Labor Day” criticizes Democratic hecklers of the Republican speakers at this year’s annual Labor Day event at Glen Maury Park. Indeed, the heckling received statewide attention, spurring similar editorials in several Virginia papers.
I believe you and the other news outlets miss an important point: Democratic discord is spurred by anger and fear about the policies and rhetoric of President Trump and the Republican-elected officials who parrot him, implement his policies, or through their silence endorse his actions. This includes Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, Attorney General Jason Miyares, Congressman Ben Cline, and others. The anger and fear many Democrats feel is due to attacks by Republicans in power on people and values we hold dear, including:
• Medicaid and SNAP recipients
• Patients seeking preventative medicine and their doctors and nurses
• Children receiving public education • People enjoying public lands
• Federal workers
• Immigrants
• Many others! The policies and rhetoric of the Trump administration have resulted in the persecution or harassment of individuals, families, and entire communities, many of whom had no “opportunity to be heard” before their lives were affected or threatened. Members of these targeted groups are angry and afraid of what is yet to come, as are many of us who work to defend them.
On Labor Day, Republican officials at Glen Maury Park included supporters of these policies that are harming so many Americans. Those Republicans act as lightning rods for our anger and fear. Some of them are seeking election or reelection. So while we all would prefer decorum, I ask you to have empathy for those whose anger and fear at their loss of health care, food, safety, and livelihoods drives them to shout at those they hold responsible. RICHARD WALLACE Lexington
