Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chester, has caught flak for engaging in an argument with a Virginia Capitol Police officer — dropping the F bomb in the process — when the officer prevented her from parking in a restricted area near her legislative office building. As depicted in media accounts, she came across as officious and entitled. But there may be more to the story.
In breaking the story several days ago, the Richmond Times-Dispatch noted vaguely that Chase had received threats, was “in fear for her life,” and had taken to wearing a pistol on her hip during the 2019 General Assembly session. In a Facebook post yesterday, she claimed to have been “accosted on three separate occasions” and said she doesn’t “feel safe parking outside the Capitol.”
This raises the question: Is there any basis to her fears or is she just being paranoid? There would seem to be a bigger issue here than a temper tantrum over a parking space.
Everyone can agree that female legislators should feel free to move about the Capitol grounds and nearby parking lots without feeling threats to their physical safety. According to Chase, she took her concerns to the state Senate leadership, but her complaint “has fallen on deaf ears.”
If her fears were justified, her frustration at being denied access to parking in a protected environment would seem forgivable. If her fears are exaggerated, then voters may have legitimate grounds for questioning not just her temperament but her judgment.
Chase said in her Facebook post that she wanted to “put this whole situation in context and hopefully add clarity to what happened.” Well, she really didn’t do that. But she can by providing more information about who accosted her and under what circumstances.
