A town hall descended into chaos Monday night as residents in Dolton, Illinois, angrily confronted their scandal-plagued Democratic mayor, Tiffany Henyard.
Residents of the village got locked out of the town hall and could be heard “banging” on the locked door as they confronted Henyard over her alleged scandals. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened an investigation into corruption allegations against the mayor, who allegedly misused hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for her personal lavish trips and police overtime for her security.
One resident accused Henyard of misusing money from the “Tiffany Henyard CARES Foundation,” an acronym for Cancer And Remission Empowering Survivors,” Fox 32 previously reported. The Illinois Attorney General’s office ordered for the foundation to be shut down after it failed to register with the office and disclose its finances, including what the funds were being used for and how they were raised.
“I have cancer, of course I do,” one resident said. “Tiffany stole money from a cancer foundation. How dare you? To help you with your campaign. How dare you steal from us? I have to buy my wigs. Are you gonna reimburse me for the wigs that I’ve been spending my money on?”
Another resident told her point-blank that she is “the worst mayor in America.”
Dolton residents are complaining they cannot access their village hall after the mayor increased security efforts around the building, citing threats made against the mayor. Dolton resident Cheryl Hill filmed the chaotic town hall on her cellphone as she tried to obtain paperwork last week, according to Fox 32. (RELATED: ‘You All Are Black!’: Besieged Dem Mayor Scolds Critics For ‘Attacking A Black Woman That’s In Power’)
“What do you mean people can’t come in? Why can’t people come in?” Hill said to officials outside of the locked building. “This is a government building. I know you all know this is a government building, right?”
“Young lady showed up here this morning, went in and was totally upset,” resident Mary Avent said. “She had no idea she can’t go into the building, just the foyer. Had to do her paperwork standing outside in the rain.”
The town hall ended abruptly as four trustees walked out, saying locking citizens out of the building violates the Illinois Open Meetings Act, according to the outlet.
“The meeting was adjourned because we have to have enough space,” trustee Jason House said, according to Fox 32. “The Open Meetings Act requires that we have enough space for everybody to get in.”
Residents believe the mayor is attempting to hide away from the scandal and accusations made against her, according to the outlet. Former trustee Valeria Stubb said the mayor must “account” for the alleged misuse of funds.
Henyard accused the trustees of arriving at the meeting to create a “political theater stunt,” according to the outlet.
“As you just saw, it’s chaos amongst our four trustees. They didn’t come here to do business. They came here to do a political theater stunt, which you just saw,” Henyard said.
A spokesperson for Henyard said the doors were locked due to “threats of violence as a result of the continuous misinformation portrayed by the media and internet bloggers who are using Dolton as a means to generate ratings and revenue,” according to Fox 32.
“Our staff and elected officials have received several disturbing communications via email, social media, phone calls and visitors from across the country. As such, our security protocols have changed,” the spokesperson further noted.