On September 30, the House of Representatives was in session to halt a government shutdown and was scheduled to vote on a government funding bill that the Republicans proposed. Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat New York House representative, was on his way to vote when he approached a locked door inside a congressional building. He tried the door handles to try to open it, which didn’t work. He then pulled the fire alarm, and as it was going off, he exited the building and didn’t tell any security personnel about it. As a result of the fire alarm, the House had to evacuate and was delayed an hour.
In Washington D.C, purposely pulling a fire alarm without there being a threat of a fire is punishable by a fine or up to 6 months in jail. Bowman got by, by paying $1,000 and writing an apology letter to the U.S. Capitol Police chief, and has since given context to the incident:
“I was trying to get to a door. I thought the alarm would open the door, and I pulled the fire alarm to open the door by accident.”
This week, the House voted (214-191) to censure (express severe disapproval and condemn) Bowman, which was largely along party lines - with only 3 democrats voting for the censure and the rest against it, dismissing the incident as an accident and accusing the Republicans of trying to take advantage of it.
Democrat representative Rashida Tlaib from Michigan called the censure “yet another attempt to silence a person of color in this chamber”, while Democrat representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York said “Let me tell you what’s actually going on … New York Republicans are so embarrassed that they propped up George Santos, got him elected to office and then had to turn around and vote to expel him […] So they’ve decided to target one of the first Black men to ever represent Westchester County.”
On the other hand, the Republican representatives accused Bowman of trying to delay the government funding bill using a tactic similar to filibustering in the Senate, which is when senators delay decisions on a bill by talking for as long as possible, as we have learned in class.
Then Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, remarked: “This is an embarrassment. You are elected to be a member of Congress. You pulled a fire alarm, in a (matter) of hours before the government being shut down, trying to dictate that the government would shut down?”
Bowman has since responded to these allegations, saying he wasn’t trying to delay the vote on the government funding bill and instead was going to vote on it. Eventually, Bowman did end up voting in favor of the bill to prevent the shutdown, and so did many Democrat representatives.
What do you think? Did Bowman pull the fire alarm purposely, or was it a genuine accident?
- David Tabor
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-vote-censuring-rep-jamaal-bowman-pulling-fire-alarm-rcna128492
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/30/politics/jamaal-bowman-pulls-fire-alarm/index.html
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/house-tees-up-censure-vote-for-rep-jamaal-bowman-over-fire-alarm-pull/ar-AA1l7e45
https://msn.com/en-us/news/politics/house-censures-rep-jamaal-bowman-for-pulling-fire-alarm/ar-AA1l9uVb
20 comments:
I find the excuse that Bowman thought pulling the fire alarm would open the door very hard to believe. Logically, it's hard to think of pulling a fire alarm as the first step to opening a locked door, and even if that for some reason was the case, Bowman fully could have alerted the Capitol Police instead of forcing everyone to evacuate.
Thus, I do think that Bowman deserved to face a stronger and more public punishment than a $1000 fine and an apology letter, since if this was intentional, it's a pretty ugly thing to do and letting him off easy sets a bad precedent. However, I do think voting to censure is a bit extreme as this has only been done 24 times in history, and is an example of deep partisan divides within Congress. Although it used to be used only for very extreme cases, censuring has been increasingly used as a partisan weapon--for example, Representative Adam Schiff of California was censured for investigating Donald Trump earlier this year.
Like Rachel said Bowman almost definitely pulled the fire alarm on purpose. Later it was found that Bowman just discreetly left without telling anybody he accidentally activated the fire alarm(completely giving up on the door??). If you're going to try to delay a vote just admit it, christ. Also the punishment Bowman got was incredibly light considering he pulled the fire alarm in a highly populated+important place like the House.
Apparently, censuring does pretty much nothing (other than provide a public excuse to remove opposition party members from committees).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/what-is-censure-congress-/2021/11/18/20245326-4889-11ec-b8d9-232f4afe4d9b_story.html
I agree with what people have said so far. I think there's pretty much no way he pulled that fire alarm on accident. What's funny to me, is that pulling a fire alarm at school can lead to up to $1000 in fines and is a public misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail (in California). Basically, if I went out into the hallway and did exactly what he did, I would likely be punished more severely than he has (and not to mention, being expelled from school would screw over the rest of my life). It feels a little ridiculous that something like this can just be taken as "a complete mistake" when kids do this stuff and get punished more severely.
source: https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/penal-code/148-4/#:~:text=attorney%2Dclient%20confidentiality.-,Penal%20Code%20%C2%A7%20148.4%20PC%20%E2%80%93%20False%20Fire%20Alarm%20or%20False,of%20a%20Fire%20%E2%80%93%20California%20Law&text=California%20Penal%20Code%20%C2%A7%20148.4,fines%20of%20up%20to%20%241%2C000.00.
I agree with what's being said. It seems unlikely that he accidentally pulled the fire alarm. What's interesting is that if someone else did the same thing, they might face much harsher consequences, like fines or even jail time. It feels a bit unfair that one person can say it was just a mistake and not face the same punishment as others who did something similar. And because it feels intentional, the punishment should be very severe in order to prevent people in the future from attempting the same-thing. Especially if this strategy of delaying a vote worked effectively, then you have to consider removing them from the committee in order to really enforce the idea that using methods like this is highly unacceptable in our democratic processes. The unequal treatment and the possibility of intentional actions call for a thorough review of the disciplinary measures in place.A more severe punishment, along with a reevaluation of committee memberships, could send a strong message that such actions won't be tolerated and will protect the credibility of our democratic procedures.
I believe that Bowman pulled the alarm on purpose, although I don't really understand why he would do that. While he did delay the vote, he still ended up voting for it. I also believe that he should have faced harsher punishments and that the other Democratic representatives should not have stood up for him. This sends the wrong message, and they should have given Bowman a more severe punishment to prevent this kind of behavior from happening again.
Like all the above comments, I agree that activating the fire alarm must be intentional. The circumstances make it highly improbable for this incident to be a mere accident. Moreover, it raises questions about the motive behind using a fire alarm. Was it to delay the vote? Or something much more malicious? His explanation of “wanting to open the door” is flimsy and unbelievable.
What particularly strikes me is the apparent leniency of the punishment meted out. While the standard penalty for a false alarm is typically a fine and/or a six-month jail term, the gravity of this situation within a congressional building adds an additional layer of significance. I expected a harsher response, such as longer prison time, higher fines, and even community service. That being said, I hope he gets a heavier punishment because this action inconvenienced so many people and is overall just really childish behavior.
I'm actually going to have to disagree with the majority consensus in this comment section which is that House representative Jamaal Bowman pulled the fire alarm on purpose to stall the vote on the government funding bill. I think it's not beyond the realm of possibility that he genuinely did make a mistake and was simply too embarrassed to tell anybody when he realized that he had pulled a fire alarm. In addition, we must consider any potential motive for why he would even want to stall the vote: it seems unlikely that he would intentionally halt the vote because a delay in the government funding bill would undoubtedly lead to a government shutdown, which would cause grants expire, and some states and local governments grow increasingly unable to advance the money to run joint federal-state programs, and this could only reflect poorly on the Democratic party as Biden is currently the POTUS and would be blamed for the government's inability to handle the government shutdown.
I do agree with a previous comment which mentioned that censure seems to have become a bipartisan political weapon more than a genuine condemnation, although I'm somewhat confused on its purpose as it doesn't seem to have any concrete effect on a representative's position in government.
Link to consequences of a government shutdown
Its hard to believe that he would pull the fire alarm to open the door. After watching the video, it appears he pushes the door, pulls the alarm, and quickly walks away, which looks totally guilty. Although it's hard to believe he pulled the alarm by mistake, I don't understand any motive he would have had to pull it on purpose, since it like likely ruin his career. I find it insane that he did not alert anyone of the pull, and simply allowed the confusion to play out, which is certainly irresponsible and immature. I believe he should be condemned for his actions, as he makes congresspeople look very unprofessional. I think it's a stretch to think the republicans condemned him because he is black, but certainly rather because of his party. Like Rachel said, the strong presence of Republican to Democratic condemnation of Bownman does strongly reveal the Democratic Republican divide, and how shallow/petty each currently party is. The basis of Bowman's actions doesn't have a Democratic or Republican implication, yet they seem to assign a side for any topic beyond reason, and fight harshly for it. I'm sure had Bowman been Republican the vote have been drastically different.
I looked up a picture of the fire alarm that rep Jamaal bowman pulled and it is bright red and is clearly a fire alarm so im not buying that it was an accident or that he didn't know it was a firm alarm. So, I don't think this was an accident, but like both Evan and Jessica mentioned, the bigger issue was why did he pull the alarm? I agree with Lequan that even though rep Bowman delayed the vote he still voted in favor of it, was this to make him look better? Now, in regards to his "punishment" I heavily support a harsher one. There needs to be a strong and strict line placed on all types of attempts to delay a vote in congress.
I agree with the majority who believe the actions on Bowmans parts were deliberate in triggering the alarm, although the motivation behind such an action remains unclear to me. Despite temporarily stalling the vote, it's noteworthy that he ultimately cast his vote in favor of it. Also, the consequences for Bowman should have been more severe. This leniency on Bowmans actions sends a misguided message and fails to uphold a standard of accountability to deter such behavior in the future. Bowman should have faced a more substantial punishment, the act of intentionally disrupting proceedings and then receiving support from colleagues undermines the integrity of the democratic process.
Wow, this is really interesting. I find it a little hard to believe someone of that age wouldn't be able to recognize a fire alarm, but if Bowman claimed that he wasn't trying to delay the vote, I believe that more. If Bowman ultimately was in favor of the vote, I don't believe he was trying to skew the voting process. I thought the quote included about Bownman's censure as an attempt to try to quiet a person of color intriguing because the fact that Reps are able to recognize prejudice in the House just makes me both happy and scared at the same time. Of course, there are Reps with all encompassing viewpoints, but it scares me thinking the House contains racists. How do we run a country rooted in racism? How has that impacted the decisions of other rulings?
This seems like complete clownery to me. This entire situation seems incredibly overblown. While it's understood that Bowman should've known the fire alarm from the door handle (like, it is bright red and says "fire alarm" on it), what is there to achieve by censuring him? What exactly was the objective with this? Additionally, I share the same concerns as many of the comments when I ask what Bowman hoped to achieve by pulling the fire alarm? This all seems strangely juvenile and honestly a bit embarrassing for our country's governing body. It's kind of appalling that they're reverting back to school-yard antics. But regardless of this being accidental or not, I feel that the backlash was a little too harsh. Why put so much importance on the incident by censuring this guy?
I have the same question as everyone else, what did he expect to get out of pulling the fire alarm? It is hard to believe that anyone could pull the fire alarm by mistake as there are clear differentiating factors between a door handle and a fire alarm. One is bright red and has the word "fire alarm" on it while the door is made up of muted colors. Additionally, as a Representative, wouldn't he know the consequences of pulling a fire alarm? If he did pull it purposefully, did he expect to easily get away with it? Moreover, I don't see why he didn't alert police officers if he pulled the alarm "on accident." I am truly curious as to the motive behind thinking that pulling the fire alarm and putting the whole House into a panic was a logical decision.
I am seriously concerned about the lack of accountability to people who have the lives and industries of this country in their hands. Being elected as a US representative is not just a title; it is a responsibility, and must be treated as such. Bowman shouldn't have to face lesser repercussions from being an important figure, but more, to hit home the true weight and importance of his job. Now that we've seen his actions, I want to question what he represents in our US government.
If he intentionally pulled the fire alarm, he represents the deep rooted corruption and indifference towards this country through redirecting vital emergency staff that can be used for a real emergency. All to try to stop a bill he does not like. To attempt to call off the whole House of Representatives through just his own vote, an attempt at tyranny.
If, by any chance he accidentally pulls the fire alarm, he represents his constituents through sheer ignorance and stupidity. To struggle even pulling a door and yanking the nearest red thing with the words "Fire" pasted clearly on the top. That this representative is at only the very best: careless and reckless, traits that a person with so much power shouldn't have.
if the US House of Representatives cannot hold accountable those who clearly represent traits that no leader should have, they will soon stop representing the will of anyone.
I find it very hard to believe, especially given the circumstances, that this incident was not purposeful. Bowman, well aware that his fellow Democrats needed more time to read through the Republican bill at hand. Something that I haven’t seen anybody else comment on that I find will be interesting is how this might influence his reelection chances. As we have discussed, while incumbents are almost always reelected, one thing that often hurts their chances of reelection is scandals. This instance may appear to some that Bowman believed himself to be above the law, pulling the fire alarm because he believed he could circumvent the legislative process to his advantage. While it may not appear as a big issue, when his name appears on the ballot for voters in New York’s 16th district, it will likely carry a negative connotation.
(https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/us/politics/jamaal-bowman-fire-alarm.html)
This is really weird. If it was on purpose - what did he think he would gain by doing it? If it wasn't on purpose - why are we letting someone that can't tell a fire alarm from a [what did he even think it was? a door opener but a lever?] be a rep in HoR? How does that even happen it's literally bright red and says FIRE on it. Why in the world would you expect it to do anything other than set off a fire alarm. If it was an accident, why would you just leave without telling anybody that the alarm is an accident? Since you would need to be insanely stupid to not know what a fire alarm looks like as a grown man in Congress, I am inclined to think that it was on purpose. It still doesn't really make sense because what is delaying the vote by an hour really going to do? In either case, this makes Bowman look pretty bad.
I found the video of him opening the door - how does anybody believe him? He walks up to both doors, pulls the fire alarm, and walks away. He doesn't even look to see if the doors open after he pulls the lever. I think I could've done a better job than he did pretending that it was an accident.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ySproXDtw4
This situation really highlights the deep partisan divide within Congress. To me, it seems that Bowman intentionally pulled the alarm to try to delay a vote (there's no way he seriously thought a fire alarm would open a door, and then didn't notify anybody after), and then voted yes in order to save a little face. It is extremely surprising and a little concerning that all but 3 Democrats stepped up to defend him when Republicans attempted to censure.
I just don't understand how someone accidentally pulls a fire alarm. In the footage, he doesn't fall/pretend or anything he just pulls it. Did he think that was going to end well? An elementary school child knows not to pull a fire alarm, but Bowman a grown man didn't know? Interesting. If anything it was pulled in an effort to delay the vote. But even if it was to that effect pulling the alarm was a useless tactic. I think both the action and the countries' censoring of Bowman reflect badly on our governing body. Putting so much attention on this event just showcases the state of our nation and the people running our government. Nobody in our government shouldn't know what a fire alarm is. Honestly, I don't even understand this mistake.
The fact that fire alarms are very recognizably painted bright red with big letters that say "fire alarm" paired with the fact that he did not seek out any security after he pulled the alarm makes me very doubtful that this was an accident. Additionally, I think this is a good example of how politicians with money are able maintain their reputation and image. Furthermore, I'm glad that our country is sensitive about not discriminating against a person of color, but at what point is it too much? To play this off by claiming people are trying to silence a person of color is almost ridiculous to me. Regardless of race, no one should be trusted to hold a power position if they cannot differentiate a fire alarm from a door handle.
“I was trying to get to a door. I thought the alarm would open the door, and I pulled the fire alarm to open the door by accident.”
Strange-- I'm not sure how much a bright red and labeled fire alarm can indicate door-opening capabilities. I'm not sure how much I stand with House Democrats on this one, as it's hard to believe that it was an accident-- it seems more like an attempt to enact a knock-off filibuster. However, perhaps a bit more information on the spending bill they were voting on (and the projected support that it had from each party) might help solidify his motives. That being said, I remember reading that bills having to deal with spending often move quickly through Congress, so I'm not sure what the aim behind delaying the vote would be.
Additionally, the fact that House Democrats find it acceptable to play the race card on this one is kind of off-putting to me: stating that this is another attempt to silence people of color in politics when in reality, I think it's more of an attempt to condemn the inconvenience that Bowman caused... undermines the real issue of POC underrepresentation in politics.
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