AUSTIN, TX — Local constituents of U.S. Congressman Roger Williams — whose expansive district stretches from Fort Worth, Texas, to a large swath of East Austin — are complaining of being denied entry into a town hall-style gathering this week, saying they were barred from participating as organizers vetted their political party affiliation.

The event Monday at 901 Congress Ave. in Central Austin was billed as a "town hall" for constituents, and many would-be attendees eagerly signed up to attend given the Republican congressman's historical lack of staging such forums. Those wishing to attend were directed to RSVP with a password in securing an admission ticket through Eventbrite. The town hall was organized by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Americans For Prosperity. In addition to Williams on the panelists' dais in the discussion on tax reform were Samuel Sheetz, policy director at Americans For Prosperity-Texas and Chuck DeVore, vice president of national initiatives for the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

But at least a dozen constituents are complaining they were denied entry as organizers allegedly attempted to discern their political affiliation in an effort to curate the crowd, filling the room with supporters rather than intersperse the gathering with those airing concerns or grievances, Patch was told. The official reason the constituents were turned away is unclear, however, and the reasons posited are solely from the group of rebuffed, including some who reached out to Patch. "I don't know why they were turned away," Texas Public Policy Foundation spokesperson Alicia Pierce said during a very brief telephone call with Patch. She said she would get back to Patch with answers, but a more robust response was not received Wednesday. A message left with the congressman's spokesperson, Hanna Allred, was not immediately returned.

Lisa Blackwell, who has lived along East 11th Street in East Austin for about five years, was among those constituents who were turned away. She told Patch she had hoped to gain clarity on the congressman's stance on gun control and immigration reform. Williams hurt his right foot and ankle after diving into the dugout to elude bullets during a June 2017 shooting in Washington, D.C. when a lone gunman targeted Congress members practicing for a charity baseball game. One of his interns was struck by a bullet in the attack that was stopped once the gunman was killed by Capitol police. Blackwell said she had hoped to discern if Williams's stance on gun control measures had been colored by the incident or had achieved greater nuance.

"I think him seeing us and us seeing him would be great in this political climate," Blackwell said. "I didn't really anticipate being antagonistic, but was expecting to have a respectful exchange with him. I was disappointed that wasn't able to happen."

Blackwell said she was excited about seeing her congressman in person, especially after several futile attempts to reach him via his staffers: "I've gone and made appointments with Roger Williams's office before, but he's not usually there, obviously," Blackwell said. "I was excited that it was actually open to the public."

She described past attempts to connect with her congressman as frustrating: "It's harder to talk with his staff. I've talked to his staff members before, and have tried to ask questions about where he stands, and his staff is not able to answer questions. They're young and — while very kind and professional — not very up to speed. It's unfulfilling." She joked that after such experiences, she had began to feel as if the congressman was a figment of her imagination, fueling her resolve to actually see him in person: "I thought he didn't actually exist, or that he is like the Wizard of Oz projected somewhere."