Marjorie Taylor Greene’s heavily fortified town hall erupts into chaos

When protests erupted at U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s town hall in Cobb County, authorities were ready.

At least 30 police officers patrolled the community center on the edge of downtown Acworth. Attendees were screened before they could enter. Horseback patrols kept watch on hundreds of protesters outside. The event felt more like a fortified campaign stop than a typical back-and-forth with constituents.

Disorderly Republican town halls have played out around the country in recent weeks as angry critics of President Donald Trump and his MAGA policies have turned up to vent their frustration. And as one of the most controversial members of Congress, Greene — who is reviled by critics and beloved by supporters —was certain to draw protests.

But critics complained that the security was too heavy-handed after police shocked two protesters with Tasers as they resisted attempts by police to eject them. Three participants were arrested. and spent the night behind bars.

Many protesters disrupted U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s town hall. Police shocked two protesters with stun guns for resisting arrest. Credits: AJC | C-SPAN

Essence Johnson, who chairs the Cobb Democratic Committee, called the arrests “unjust” and said attorneys are working to exonerate those who were charged.

“They were constituents who were vetted by Marjorie Taylor Greene to attend the town hall in the district she represents,” Johnson said. “She represents Cobb County and she represents Georgia, and what happened to them is unjustifiable. She knew exactly what she was doing going to Acworth.”

Greene, R-Rome, was also ready for disruptions and seemed to relish the confrontations, cheering with supporters at times when an attendee was ejected from the room. “Bye,” she said repeatedly with a wave as one was escorted out.

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Credit: Mike Stewart/AP

Credit: Mike Stewart/AP

In all, about nine of the attendees were removed, three of whom were arrested. Acworth police said two were shocked with a Taser after officers were “threatened, physically resisted and harmed” during attempts to detain them.

The City of Acworth was quick to denounce the actions of disruptive attendees as an “imminent public safety threat.”

“Their intentions were clear, to place the members of our beloved police department in a no-win situation in front of numerous media outlets,” stated the city of Acworth.

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Johnny Williams, one of two men shocked with a Taser, now faces two felony charges — a terroristic threat charge was added to obstruction of a law enforcement officer, said Acworth Police Sgt. Eric Mistretta.

The other man, Andrew Nelms, faces a felony obstruction charge in addition to his two misdemeanor charges. He was released from the Cobb County jail Wednesday afternoon.

Another attendee, who faces a misdemeanor for vulgar language, was released from the Smyrna City Jail on Wednesday, a jail spokeswoman said.

Wednesday evening, a group of Democratic state lawmakers gathered outside the Cobb County Magistrate Courthouse to condemn Greene’s town hall and seek answers about the additional charges Nelms and Williams faced.

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“There were a lot of things that happened yesterday that were not reflected until we saw the final report,” said state Rep. David Wilkerson, D-Powder Springs, referring to Williams’ terroristic threat charge.

People went to jail thinking they were detained for one thing, Wilkerson said, only to find out they had additional charges.

No apologies

Greene hosted her town hall in suburban Cobb County, the bluest part of her northwest Georgia district, which is otherwise solidly red.

Redrawn district maps in 2021 shifted some of Cobb’s diverse and Democratic parts from one of Georgia’s longest-serving congressional Democrats, U.S. Rep. David Scott, to Greene, a close ally of President Donald Trump and the chair of the U.S. House DOGE subcommittee.

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Wendy Davis, a Democratic activist who was in the room, said she was horrified that Greene “filled the room with GOP loyalists who were encouraged to cheer the lies she was telling” and then applauded as police officers used the Tasers.

“My GOP neighbors cheered for these removals — and for the people who have been sent to a prison in El Salvador without due process," Davis said.

Outside the town hall, where demonstrators lined the street protesting Greene’s MAGA stances, a Democratic candidate running for Greene’s seat in 2026, Clarence Blalock, said police pulled over a car passing by the crowd as the driver laid into its horn.

“The officer decided one random car driver was worth pulling over when people were honking all afternoon,” he said.

Greene had no apologies. She praised law enforcement’s aggressive approach and said the unrest underscored the increasingly volatile political climate.

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“I have the most death threats in Congress. At times, I’ve had even more death threats than Speaker Johnson. And it shouldn’t be that way,” she said. “We just saw Gov. Shapiro’s mansion being attacked with arson. It shouldn’t be this way — for any elected leader, no matter the political party they represent.”

Staff writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this report