School board members in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, were left in shock after an activist was accused of threatening one of the trustees during a public school board meeting.

On March 31, local activist Ian Seaman made reference to Luigi Mangione, who allegedly gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in December.

“It’s one thing to say we don’t want rainbow flags in our schools and to have the people that you pay $60,000 a year in journalism salary to, to repeat the talking points. It’s another thing to pay $60,000 a year, which is a teacher’s salary, to a Republican action committee, or anything like that. Fortunate for you, I’m no Luigi,” Seaman reportedly told Trustee Sean Cotton, whose family founded Meridian Health. “But to some disgruntled teen with his or her father’s pistol or rifle, any of the other things you prefer in schools other than rainbow flags, you might be a Brian Thompson.”

“Seaman claimed to be upset over school policy on hanging gay pride flags in classrooms,” Michigan Capitol Confidential reported. Cotton told the outlet he thought Seaman had been radicalized by people whose “months of reckless demagoguery that used me as a boogeyman contributed directly to his actions and the threat he made against my life.”

“You don’t always have your life threatened right here, and that guy Ian Seaman, he absolutely just did threaten my life,” Cotton told the people at the meeting. “From my exercising representative government and democracy and the First Amendment, that’s pretty disconcerting. Seeing sociopaths like this guy, who referenced the United CEO who was murdered, and seeing how much happiness you see online to that murder, is pretty disconcerting where our society has gone. And seeing one of these people come up here and publicly speak, it’s pretty concerning.”

“It’s unacceptable to make thinly veiled threats to anybody regardless of status. That’s unacceptable. I’m sorry that happened to you, Trustee Cotton,” board member Clint Derringer reacted.

“I’m really taken aback by what just happened at that microphone regarding a person and a public servant,” Dr. Andrea Turtle declared. “And I would hope that all of you, regardless of your opinions, realize we are people first. And that was completely scary, and I’m shocked that it’s not being addressed differently, quite frankly, at this board, and that we’ve overlooked that, because it’s really hard for me to focus on anything but that, because that could be any one of us.”

“While he did not explicitly mention my background in healthcare, it is clear he had done his homework, and I believe he likely knew of my former role,” Cotton told Michigan Capitol Confidential. “He ranted about my ownership of our community’s local newspaper, my political donations, and was clearly very angry and agitated about my participation in the democratic process.”

“While the incident was unsettling, it will not deter me from continuing to serve the Grosse Pointe community,” Cotton continued. “I sought this role to help preserve and strengthen our public schools, championing academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and long-term stability. That mission remains as important to me today as ever.”

“I believe deeply in democracy and in the importance of representative government,” Cotton asserted. “These are the bedrock principles of our nation. To serve in an elected role is both an honor and a responsibility. Threats and intimidation cannot be allowed to silence public servants or any citizen who chooses to participate in civic life.”

Seaman claimed his comments weren’t a threat. “I explicitly said I would never do that,” Seaman told Michigan Capitol Confidential. “I am not (Mangione). But if we keep not listening to people and what they need, we are in an environment where someone could do something drastic. That should be a scary thought for everyone.”

“What you saw Monday at the school board meeting was appalling but sadly predictable,” Matthew J. Wilk, president of Get Kids Back to School Inc, stated. “Progressive political organizations have been pushing that a reversion to a traditional view of sex, one that has been understood on this planet for thousands of years, is somehow ‘violence’ against those with gender dysphoria. It isn’t.”

Regarding Seaman’s rhetoric, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s Press Secretary, Daniel Wimmer, commented, “Whether a threat was effectuated would require some degree of investigation that I am unable to conduct, via email as the press secretary for the department. If you or anyone else believe a crime has been committed, we would encourage you to contact local law enforcement or your nearest Michigan State Police post.”

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School board members in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, were left in shock after an activist was accused of threatening one of the trustees during a public school board meeting.

On March 31, local activist Ian Seaman made reference to Luigi Mangione, who allegedly gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in December.

“It’s one thing to say we don’t want rainbow flags in our schools and to have the people that you pay $60,000 a year in journalism salary to, to repeat the talking points. It’s another thing to pay $60,000 a year, which is a teacher’s salary, to a Republican action committee, or anything like that. Fortunate for you, I’m no Luigi,” Seaman reportedly told Trustee Sean Cotton, whose family founded Meridian Health. “But to some disgruntled teen with his or her father’s pistol or rifle, any of the other things you prefer in schools other than rainbow flags, you might be a Brian Thompson.”

“Seaman claimed to be upset over school policy on hanging gay pride flags in classrooms,” Michigan Capitol Confidential reported. Cotton told the outlet he thought Seaman had been radicalized by people whose “months of reckless demagoguery that used me as a boogeyman contributed directly to his actions and the threat he made against my life.”

“You don’t always have your life threatened right here, and that guy Ian Seaman, he absolutely just did threaten my life,” Cotton told the people at the meeting. “From my exercising representative government and democracy and the First Amendment, that’s pretty disconcerting. Seeing sociopaths like this guy, who referenced the United CEO who was murdered, and seeing how much happiness you see online to that murder, is pretty disconcerting where our society has gone. And seeing one of these people come up here and publicly speak, it’s pretty concerning.”

“It’s unacceptable to make thinly veiled threats to anybody regardless of status. That’s unacceptable. I’m sorry that happened to you, Trustee Cotton,” board member Clint Derringer reacted.

“I’m really taken aback by what just happened at that microphone regarding a person and a public servant,” Dr. Andrea Turtle declared. “And I would hope that all of you, regardless of your opinions, realize we are people first. And that was completely scary, and I’m shocked that it’s not being addressed differently, quite frankly, at this board, and that we’ve overlooked that, because it’s really hard for me to focus on anything but that, because that could be any one of us.”

“While he did not explicitly mention my background in healthcare, it is clear he had done his homework, and I believe he likely knew of my former role,” Cotton told Michigan Capitol Confidential. “He ranted about my ownership of our community’s local newspaper, my political donations, and was clearly very angry and agitated about my participation in the democratic process.”

“While the incident was unsettling, it will not deter me from continuing to serve the Grosse Pointe community,” Cotton continued. “I sought this role to help preserve and strengthen our public schools, championing academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and long-term stability. That mission remains as important to me today as ever.”

“I believe deeply in democracy and in the importance of representative government,” Cotton asserted. “These are the bedrock principles of our nation. To serve in an elected role is both an honor and a responsibility. Threats and intimidation cannot be allowed to silence public servants or any citizen who chooses to participate in civic life.”

Seaman claimed his comments weren’t a threat. “I explicitly said I would never do that,” Seaman told Michigan Capitol Confidential. “I am not (Mangione). But if we keep not listening to people and what they need, we are in an environment where someone could do something drastic. That should be a scary thought for everyone.”

“What you saw Monday at the school board meeting was appalling but sadly predictable,” Matthew J. Wilk, president of Get Kids Back to School Inc, stated. “Progressive political organizations have been pushing that a reversion to a traditional view of sex, one that has been understood on this planet for thousands of years, is somehow ‘violence’ against those with gender dysphoria. It isn’t.”

Regarding Seaman’s rhetoric, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s Press Secretary, Daniel Wimmer, commented, “Whether a threat was effectuated would require some degree of investigation that I am unable to conduct, via email as the press secretary for the department. If you or anyone else believe a crime has been committed, we would encourage you to contact local law enforcement or your nearest Michigan State Police post.”

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