Abusive male caller asks first Indian American Congresswoman to “go back to where you ******* came from?”
Two months after Indian-American lawmaker Pramila Jayapal was stalked by a man with a pistol who hurled racial abuses at her, she has received more hate messages over the phone including one asking her to go back to India.
Chennai-born Jayapal, 55, the first Indian-American Congresswoman who represents Seattle in the US House of Representatives, posted a collection of five such audio messages Thursday.
Read: Indian American lawmaker Pramila Jayapal faces racist attack (July 14, 2022)
“Typically, political figures don’t show their vulnerability. I chose to do so here because we cannot accept violence as our new norm,” Jayapal, from the Democratic Party, tweeted. “We also cannot accept the racism and sexism that underlies and propels so much of this violence.”
In all the messages, portions of which have been redacted because of obscene and abusive content, the male caller is heard threatening her with dire consequences and in one instance asking her to go back India.
“Yeah, hi Pramila. Hey, I just wanted to give you a little heads up.”
“Get ready for the worst year of your life. It’s going to be turmoil every day.”
“This is going to be fun.This is going to be fun. Your life is going to be miserable.”
“You stupid ******* ****. Get ready for turmoil. You’re getting it.”
And “Hey, why don’t you guys go back to where you ******* came from?”
The Washington Post on Thursday reported Jayapal’s previous 47-minute ordeal on the night of July 9 when she was home and experienced for the first time the man’s hatred.
Read: Man accused of threatening to kill Pramila Jayapal charged with felony (July 28, 2022)
She was watching a psychological thriller “Mindhunter” with her husband, Steve Williamson, when it started. That was the first time they saw and heard the stalker, who and his black car with gold rims driving past their house had been a familiar sight to neighbours.
It was 10:38 p.m. “F…… C…,” said one of the men, according to voices captured by security cameras. Another voice said something that included “India”.
“But I will continue to drive by here and voice my opinion, until she goes back to India – or something else,” Brett Forsell, 49, one of the two men said as he sat in a police car after his arrest.
Jayapal, who heads the party’s congressional liberals as chairperson of the House Progressive Caucus and is a strident critic of former President Donald Trump blamed him for the stalker.
“The person that occupied the White House, the highest office in the land, actually used and unleashed and mobilised all of that violence and white supremacy using the tools of the federal government,” she said shortly after the incident.
Read: Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal receives threat messages (September 9, 2022)
“I’ve had people forever telling me to go back to India,” Jayapal told The Washington Post. “But I will say that this was different. This was really different.”
Forsell had planned to pitch a tent close to Jayapal’s house to serve her as a constant reminder. And on the night of his arrest, he was carrying a Glock pistol, which he claimed to the police, was meant only for self-defence.