Police were called to investigate a group’s petition signatures delivered to a Kansas Senator requesting that he participate in a public town hall.

On Wednesday a group gathered  to protest, and deliver 3,850 petition signatures from across the state to Senator Roger Marshall’s Wichita office. The petition requests that Senator Marshall participate in a public town hall event with his constituents, something the group say he hasn’t done in over a year.

Police were called to a report that the boxes petition signatures were suspicious. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit was called; and the street was closed. Members of the unit examined the boxes and determined that they were not a threat.

The signatures were gathered by Prairie Progress Civic Action and Leading Kansas. 

“Families across Kansas have tried repeatedly to talk with Senator Marshall. We’ve organized community events. We’ve signed petitions. We’ve even mailed postcards from our kitchens to his home. But Senator Marshall hasn’t shown up once,” Lauren Fitzgerald, spokesperson for Kansas Coalition for Common Sense, said.“He mailed postcards back. He ignored meeting requests. And when Kansans peacefully delivered 3,850 petition signatures to his office, he called the police, wasting their time and our tax dollars. We deserve a senator who respects hardworking Kansans enough to hear their concerns and answer their questions.”

The group outlined the following timeline:

May 27, 2026

• Members of the Prairie Progress Civic Action and Leading Kansas delivered a petition to the office of U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall in downtown Wichita on Wednesday.
• The groups said they collected 3,800 signatures from Kansans across the state. The petition requests that Sen. Marshall participate in a public event with his constituents.
• The organization said it requested a formal meeting to deliver the petition, but did not hear back.
• Around noon, Wichita police said they received a call from the senator’s office about five cardboard boxes outside the office with a note addressed to Sen. Marshall.
• Officers and the police department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit responded, examined the boxes and determined they contained protest fliers.

March 2025: Walked Out of Oakley Town Hall 

• In March 2025, Senator Marshall abruptly abandoned a town hall in Oakley, leaving constituents who had driven hours to attend without answers.
• Within the first 5 minutes, he threatened to leave if attendees kept “interrupting” him— despite witnesses saying questions were from “normal Kansans who wanted their voice to be heard.”
• Marshall’s staff attempted to control the conversation by passing around notecards and pens to filter out and pre-screen questions. When attendees raised their concerns about DOGE cuts, employment, cuts to veterans’ benefits, and more, Marshall walked out.

April 2026: Returned Constituents’ Postcards

• When constituents mailed “Greetings from Kansas” postcards to Senator Marshall’s Florida residence, requesting a town hall and detailing real concerns affecting them, their families, and their communities, he mailed them back marked “return to sender.”

May 2026: Ignored Meeting Requests

• Prairie Progress Civic Action submitted a formal meeting request via Marshall’s website nearly two weeks ago to deliver the petition signatures.
• Marshall’s office never responded.

385+ Days: No Public Events

• Senator Marshall has not held a single public town hall in over a year, despite repeated requests from constituents across the state.
• One frustrated Kansan said, “He doesn’t want his constituents there. He didn’t advertise this openly.”