Eric Fuller’s outburst and arrest

by David Safier

I'm posting out the arrest of Eric Fuller for making threatening comments directed at Trent Humphries for two reasons. First, I've written quite a bit about right wing threats and assaults on Democrats, and it seems hypocritical to ignore this incident. Second, I've seen Fuller at a number of events and had short conversations with him, so that makes what he did feel more immediate.

Fuller was absolutely in the wrong, based on everything I've read. Trent Humphries made a politically motivated but non-inflammatory comment about holding off on discussing gun control issues until after all the funerals are over. It's to the advantage of Humphries and others who want less gun restrictions to hope some of the immediate memories of the shooting fade before the issue of gun regulation is raised in earnest, but making a statement like his is well within the bounds of civil political discourse. Fuller saying to Humphries, "You're dead," was inflammatory and inexcusable, way out of bounds in any situation, never more so than right now.

Fuller attends lots of Democratic rallies with a clipboard filled with petitions. He gets paid to collect signatures. When he's asked me for signatures, he's been salesman-like, but friendly and not overly pushy. When I've spent a few minutes talking with him, he advocated strongly for the positions on the petitions he carried and for general progressive ideas.

A New York Times article about Fuller's arrest makes it sound like he attended Gabby's Saturday event with the idea of defending Gabby from detractors — loudly, if necessary — and even got into "a heated discussion" about politics with someone there. (A heartbreaking side note is that Gabe Zimmerman is the one who stepped in to separate the two.) If it weren't for that detail, I would have speculated Fuller's statement to Humphries was a direct reaction to the stress Fuller has been under since Saturday, including being shot at the event. That might have brought back some incidents from his military service and made him ready to be set off at any provocation. But it sounds like the shooting built on some things that were already going on inside Fuller.

I hope a psychological evaluation will prove helpful, and if he is in a state which makes him a danger to himself or others, he is given proper treatment and detention.

UPDATE: I just read a comment by Humphries about Fuller's threat on Talking Points Memo where he said just the right thing.

"I don't want to harm this man, he's not an enemy," Humphries said. "I want to make sure, if it is a mental thing, it's really, really taken seriously because this can't happen anymore," he said, referring to the way Loughner apparently slipped through the cracks for years.

It's good to hear that kind of thoughtful response. A few other Humphries statements has made recently have been, shall I say, less thoughtful and appropriate.