A Massachusetts nurse says she felt forced to resign after 15 years on the job following viral video of a clash at a rally supporting Donald Trump in Washington, DC.
In the video, a woman identified as Therese is seen being punched in the face by a security guard. Therese was named publicly by her 18 year old daughter, Helena, who shared the footage online with a caption mocking her mother for attending.
“Hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn’t go to BLM protests bc they could get violent…this you?” Helena wrote.
Therese says she did nothing wrong. According to The New York Post, on Jan. 5 she was “innocently ‘looking for a place to eat'” in Washington with fellow Trump supporters when the group was confronted by counter protesters near the White House. “I was the one who was assaulted,” she said.
The security guard, Ashanti, has a different account. She pleaded not guilty at a same day arraignment, and her side of the story is that she acted in self defense.
The Post also reported that Therese’s sister, Anne, was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer and punching Ashanti twice. Those are allegations, and Anne’s side of the story was not included in the reports we reviewed.
In an online fundraiser, Therese wrote that she had been “relieved from my employment pending an investigation.” She later said threats left her feeling forced to leave her job at UMass Memorial Health Care. She told the Herald, “Anybody can Google me. Nobody will hire me.”
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Therese also says she did not want violence and wants people to know she was not involved in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol or with anyone who broke in. She says she went to show support for Trump because, in her words, “we know the vote was stolen.” That claim about the election has been rejected by courts and election officials. The hospital’s side of the story was not included in the reports cited here.
Baller Alert will keep following the story as more is reported.
