Hillary Clinton holds town hall meeting in Haverford Twp., Pa.

Katherine Scott Image
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
VIDEO: Hillary Clinton in Haverford Township, Pa.
Hillary Clinton made a stop in Haverford Township, Delaware County.

HAVERFORD TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- Voters lined up for a campaign appearance by Hillary Clinton Tuesday morning in Delaware County.

Before the doors opened, the line stretched outside the Haverford Community Recreation and Environmental Center.

They were there to see Hillary Clinton, her daughter Chelsea and actor and University of Pennsylvania alumna Elizabeth Banks.

"This is the first election I will be able to vote in, so I wanted to come out and show my support," high school senior Jack Feder told Action News.

Topics ranged from gun law loopholes to mental health to the topic raised by a 15-year old.

"At my school, body image is a really big issue for girls my age. I see with my own eyes the damage Donald Trump does when he talks about women and how they look. As the first female president, how would you undo some of that damage and help girls understand that they are so much more than what they look like?" the 15-year-old girl asked.

Clinton's response, in part, was that young women are being influenced at earlier ages.

"By messages from the media, 'forget your mind, forget your heart, care only about what you look because that's all we care about' - and we have to stand up against that. Women and men, mothers and fathers, teachers, everybody," Clinton said.

The issues of Black Lives Matter and deadly police involved shootings also came up.

Clinton urged empathy, training and de-escalation.

"We need everybody to work on de-escalating situations, understanding what we all face because remember people are scared on both sides of those transactions and it's important that we work with our communities, and work with our police, and do everything we can to try to create a bigger zone of safety," Clinton said.

The town hall meeting also focused on Clinton's plan for families and children.

And a number of families, including children, were in the audience, even though the kids aren't yet able to vote.

It was a school day, but many felt this was a unique educational experience to take part in.

"I really like Hillary Clinton because she wants to make the world really good," said Nora McNichol from Media, Pa.

"I think a lot of our grade will be here," said high school senior Becca Grayum. "We've already seen some of our classmates."

"I thought it was crazy she was coming this close to us," said high school senior Natalie Woodman. "We thought she'd be coming to Philadelphia or something. The fact that she's a mile away from where we live is wild."

With the election about a month away, Clinton supporters believe the next weeks are crucial, first getting voters registered and then out to the polls.

"It's absolutely a battleground, and we were just saying in our neighborhoods... Trump signs," said Sari Daisey of Garnet Valley, Pa. "We need more Hillary signs. I think it will go down to the wire."

"We're going to pull out all stops to get our voters to the polls and cast their ballots and win this election," said Robert Turner of Williamstown, N.J.