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Richmond, VA - On September 8, 2020, Tony Pham’s front yard was flooded with protesters while his wife and children were home alone and terrified. He had just been named the new acting Director of ICE and had only been on the job for seven days.
I don’t usually write about individual incidents on the ground, as my work is based more on a broader view of the political landscape, but I had to make an exception for this as I have still not heard a single word about this in the news. I would not even know about this incident if I did not know Tony, personally.
Tony Pham, my good friend, whom I have known for many years through Virginia politics, was recently tapped as the new Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was a refugee from Vietnam who escaped to the United States after Saigon fell in 1975. However, Tony grew up in Virginia, graduated from William and Mary and the University of Richmond’s School of Law, was one of Richmond’s “Top 40 Under 40,” was named by Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly as “Leaders in the Law,” ran for Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney, and is in every way one of Virginia’s own.
Maybe that is why we here in Virginia take it a little personally when one of our own is terrified for the lives of his wife and children because he has accepted the burden of responsibility to serve his country, his community, and as always, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and no one says a word about it.
It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon. While Tony was at work in Washington, DC, protesters ran onto his front lawn, covered it with signs and crosses, and screamed profanities. They chanted wildly at the top of their lungs (as well as through bull horns) and banged objects while his wife and children, helpless and alone, cowered in their home desperately hoping that none of the protesters would try to break in.
The protesters were dressed in black, just as the rioters for Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa usually are. It was impossible to know whether they would merely protest on Tony’s front lawn, try to burn their house to the ground, or attempt to break in and murder his wife and children in their home. We have all seen how peaceful protests can turn on a dime and become dangerous riots. There was no way to tell what the intentions of those protesters were. The police were nowhere in sight and all Tony’s family could do was wait, hope, and pray.
Tony was frantic, watching in horror on a security camera through his phone as the protesters swarmed onto his front yard and tried to terrify his family while he was unable to do anything to protect them. Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity to Tony and his family as they waited for any kind of law enforcement response. Tony stayed on the phone with his family hoping to keep them calm but there was little he could do from so far away. His wife was panic-stricken for her children as the protesters rushed towards her home screaming. She was beside herself hoping that she and the children would survive.
One of the most frightening calls from the protesters was the demand for Tony’s wife to come outside and be held accountable to them.
The protesters outside their home screamed about abolishing ICE, caged children, dying immigrants, and the abolition of borders and nations at his family, as well as his neighbors. One of the most frightening calls from the protesters was the demand for Tony’s wife to come outside and be held accountable to them. Finally, the police arrived, and the protesters began to disperse.
As Tony described the scene to me, the thought that seemed to haunt him the most was that violent protesters came for his wife and children. The protesters targeted them to get to him. No human being can be unmoved listening to a man describe the fear he felt for his wife and children. Public servants like Tony always think about the duty that we as citizens have to our community. While he is doing his duty, we need to do ours. Decent people must stand up and condemn those who cross the line between legal peaceful protesting and illegal terrorizing of public servants and their families on the streets and in their homes.
Now we have to wait and wonder whether or not there will be any consequences for the protesters who went to his home, trespassed on his property, and terrorized his family. It is all in the hands of Shannon Taylor, the Commonwealth’s Attorney who ran against Tony in 2015.
It is concerning that there have been so many incidents around the nation where protesters, who commit criminal acts for political purposes, face no repercussions. As this incident has not even been in the press, I hope that it will not be swept under the rug with the rest. Protesters should not be able to commit crimes and terrorize the families of public servants, or anyone else, without having to face the consequences of their actions, no matter what their political affiliation is.
These protesters clearly had every expectation of being able to get away with it as they recorded themselves live on Facebook as they frightened and harassed Tony’s family, as well as his neighbors.
Warning: Profanity and Illegal Behavior
Watch the Full Video (Recorded LIVE) Here: