Podcast host says many in the audience later expressed shame over the heckling; presses for accountability over the $22M Polaris expenditure.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, MAY 18- Political commentator and podcast host Perry is crediting Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell for handling Sunday’s New York town hall “with dignity” — even as NDC diaspora supporters repeatedly tried to shout him down for asking pointed questions about Project Polaris spending.

In a post-event podcast, Perry offered measured praise for the Prime Minister while standing firmly by his line of questioning. “I want to give kudos to him — he acted with dignity, he acted with respect,” Perry said. “He was able to remind the crowd that this gentleman deserves to ask questions.”

Perry was mid-question when the crowd erupted, asking Prime Minister Mitchell and project sponsor Andrea St. Bernard why a groundbreaking ceremony was held when only a concept plan — representing less than 15% of the full architectural drawings required for construction — had been received.

He also pressed for an explanation of $22 million already expended on the project, noting that a complete set of architectural plans is estimated to cost approximately $50 million.

The heckling intensified the moment money came up. “Everything was going well until I asked the question about money — the accountability of money,” Perry noted on his podcast. “That is a question that every Grenadian should welcome because we should want to know how the hard-earned taxpayer dollars of Grenadians are being spent.”

Perry pushed back firmly against those who believed the jeering would silence him. “If you thought you were gonna disrespect me, you didn’t disrespect me. What you did is you disrespected yourselves.”

However, Perry was careful not to condemn the entire audience. “I’m not gonna paint them all with one brush,” he said, noting that many attendees approached him afterward expressing disappointment. “They themselves felt disgusted by the response of some.”

On the First Amendment, Perry was unequivocal: “We are not in a socialist, Marxist, communist outfit — this is the United States of America where the First Amendment reigns supreme.”

Perry acknowledged the PM’s candid admission that the groundbreaking was staged to generate public enthusiasm for Polaris rather than mark a true construction milestone. “He was honest, and I appreciate the honesty,” Perry said.

Online reaction was swift and largely critical of the NDC crowd. “This behavior is disappointing — these are simply logistical questions,” wrote one commenter. Another called it “tribalism at its highest level.”

NDC diaspora supporters have faced repeated criticism for aggressive online conduct and the silencing of government critics — Sunday’s scene giving fresh ammunition to those concerns.