Chris Reichert

Chris Reichert is an individual who participated in a Tea Party rally and reportedly ended up yelling and throwing money at a man who had Parkinson's disease. This incident took place on March 16, 2010.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmaKRwUoAIU After video of the incident was widely distributed on the internet though social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, it was picked up by the main stream media. A few days after the media picked up the story and further popularized the video, Reichert came forward and expressed his regret of the indecent.http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/03/24/dollar-bill-throw.html?sid=101

The man with Parkinson's disease has recently been identified by media outlets as Robert A. Letcher.http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/03/24/dollar-bill-throw.html?sid=101

While taking part in the Tea Party demonstration, Reichert and others were protesting against the recent health care reform bill. The bill ended up being voted on in the House just a few days later. The incident took place outside of Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy's district office. Once the video was posted online, Kilroy herself ended up condemning Reichert's actions.http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/03/24/dollar-bill-throw.html?sid=101

One of the exact lines that Reichert reportedly said to the man with Parkinson's disease was, "If you're looking for a hand-out, you're on the wrong end of town."http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/03/24/dollar-bill-throw.html?sid=101 While this occurred, Reichert pointed a finger in the direction of Letcher (the man with Parkinson's) and then threw some dollar bills at him. After throwing the money, Reichert is reported to have said, "I'll pay for this guy. Here you go. Let's start a pot, I'll pay for you. I'll decide when to give you money. Here. Here's another one."http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/03/24/dollar-bill-throw.html?sid=101

Chris Reichert can be seen in a Tea Party rally YouTube video (available for viewing below) yelling at a man and throwing what appears to be money at the man.

Reichert later stated that he "snapped" and that what he did was "shameful" in nature. Speaking to the news paper, the Columbus Dispatch, Reichert said, "I snapped. I absolutely snapped and I can't explain it any other way." Discussing the man who he was yelling at , Reichert added that, "He's got every right to do what he did and some may say I did too, but what I did was shameful."http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20001186-503544.html

Before Reichert issued the statements above, he had actually claimed to have had no involvement in the incident. He thought that the incident would simply go away but later realized that "it won't and I'm paying the consequences."http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/03/24/dollar-bill-throw.html?sid=101 Reichert reportedly saw many of the websites on the internet that talked about him and became concerned that people were "hunting" for him.http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/03/24/dollar-bill-throw.html?sid=101