Re “D.A. addresses West Hollywood community at town hall,” July 30 issue

I attended this event expecting a town hall. What I witnessed was something else entirely.

A town hall is supposed to be an opportunity for residents to ask questions, hear answers and perhaps even challenge one another’s assumptions. Instead, this became a forum where many attendees appeared uninterested in hearing explanations rooted in the actual role of the district attorney. Time and again, Mr. Hochman attempted to explain that prosecutors are bound by evidence, due process and ethical obligations, not by political demands. Those are not evasions. They are the foundation of our justice system.

I found it particularly curious that the program began with remarks that energized the audience before any dialogue with the district attorney had even begun. From that point forward, the evening felt less like a conversation and more like a performance, with repeated demands for action on issues that largely fall outside the authority of the District Attorney’s Office.

I was the resident who stood up shortly after 7 p.m., called the event a sham and a fraud, and left. I did so because I believed the format had failed. A genuine town hall welcomes disagreement and allows participants to hear answers they may not like. This event too often rewarded applause lines over thoughtful discussion.

West Hollywood deserves better. We should be capable of hosting public officials with whom some might disagree while still giving them a fair opportunity to explain their responsibilities and defend their decisions. Civil discourse is not measured by how loudly we demand answers. It is measured by our willingness to listen to them.

Alan Strasburg

West Hollywood