Constituent removed from Rep. Mike Lawler's town hall speaks out, Lawler responds

Nyack resident Emily Feiner, 64, was the person removed from the meeting.

Julia Rosier

May 5, 2025, 11:00 AM

Updated 5 hr ago

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News 12 is hearing from the constituent who was removed from Rep. Mike Lawler’s Town Hall on Sunday.
Nyack resident Emily Feiner, 64, was the person removed from the meeting.
The incident was caught on camera by Jennifer Cabrera, chair of the Westchester-Putnam chapter of the Working Families Party, who was also asked to leave shortly after filming the video.
The video shows security asking Feiner to leave. Feiner refused and was eventually physically lifted out of the venue.
As she was being removed, the crowd chanted "Let her stay" and "Shame, shame."
"It is disrespectful to me as a constituent," says Feiner.
Feiner admits that she broke the rules but says she did it because she asked Lawler a question and felt it wasn’t answered.
"I called out. I did call out and you were not allowed to call out, but I called out because he was not answering my questions," says Feiner.
A spokesperson for Lawler told News 12 that Feiner was escorted out after refusing to comply with state troopers.
She was then physically lifted out of the Town Hall.
"I was sort of in shock that I was being asked to leave," says Feiner. "I didn’t think they were going to bring the cops over and grab me like that and drag me out of there.”
After, Lawler urged the audience to return to their seats as he tried to continue answering questions.
“The attendee was asked to leave after repeatedly engaging in abusive and combative behavior with staff, and disrupting nearby attendees. She was escorted from the auditorium when she continually refused to comply with New York State Troopers," says Ciro Riccardi, a spokesperson for Lawler, in a statement.
"The only request made to attendees was that they follow some basic rules of decorum and treat fellow residents and my staff – most of them young people who decided to pursue public service – with respect and decency," Lawler wrote on X.