The Columbian
June 24, 2024
A town hall event hosted Friday by 3rd Congressional District candidate Leslie Lewallen resembled a support group for grieving families who have lost loved ones to Southwest Washington’s opioid epidemic.
The event, held at the Camas Community Center, began with local speakers who discussed how opioids have impacted their lives and communities. Later, a microphone was passed around the room, and some attendees spoke candidly and emotionally about loved ones who have overdosed or are suffering from addiction.
Many brought photos of their friends and family members who have died. They were displayed on a table at the back of the room.
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“First and foremost, we need to secure the southern border,” she said. “Will it fix everything? No. But it will cut the head of the snake off.”
She added she supports building a wall along the Mexican border, supplying border patrol agents with needed resources and reinstating the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Her second priority is reversing “soft-on-crime” policies, she said.
“The defund the police movement didn’t just defund our law enforcement officers, it defunded our criminal court systems, as well,” she said. “We’ve got to get tough on crime again.”
Read the full opinion piece in The Columbian here.
To learn more about Leslie and her run for Congress, visit here.
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