HotSpots, March14–June 30, 2007

HotSpots is a summary of incidents of harassment and violence directed at Planned Parenthood affiliates, national offices, and other reproductive health care providers, produced monthly by The Security Group, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc.

Pennsylvania  06/29/07  More than 200 protesters arrived early at a Planned Parenthood health center, with about 20 individuals trespassing to block all building entrances. Others in the group diverted patients to a non-Planned Parenthood parking lot, where their licenses were photographed and they were harassed with slogans and anti-choice literature. (Many of the participants were the same protesters who staged a “blockade” at another Planned Parenthood affiliate in Pennsylvania on Good Friday.) Staff handled the incident professionally and calmly, and patients continued to be seen.

Minnesota  06/28/07  The security officer noted a protester standing, unmoving, in the driveway area of a Planned Parenthood health center. He informed the protester that he was required to keep moving, but the protester failed to comply. Law enforcement was notified and came and warned the protester.

Florida  06/24/07  A Planned Parenthood affiliate received an after-hours (Sunday) telephone bomb threat through their answering service, directed toward a specific health center. The caller claimed the clinic would be bombed in the coming week. The answering service notified Planned Parenthood staff immediately, who notified law enforcement. The police listened to the recording, took a report, and the bomb squad brought their dog to search the site. Nothing was found and the building was re-secured. The effort to trace the caller is ongoing.

Alaska  06/21/07, 06/14/07, & 06/07/07  A Planned Parenthood health center that previously did not have protesters has started to experience regular demonstrations. The protesters are from a local Roman Catholic Church and Alaska Right to Life. On 06/21/07 their signage targeted the health center’s provider by name. The director of Alaska Right to Life was seen walking the perimeter of the health center property. This trespass was reported to law enforcement.

Georgia  06/19/07  Members of “Bound 4 Life” trespassed at a Planned Parenthood health center, approaching the building for a “laying on of hands.” Law enforcement plans to be there in the coming week to formally warn the group regarding trespass.

Buffalo, NY  06/19/07  James Kopp, anti-abortion extremist and convicted murderer of Dr. Barnett Slepian in 1998, was sentenced to a second life term without parole for violating FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act) and an additional 10 years under federal weapons charges stemming from the same incident. Kopp remains a suspect in three non-fatal shootings of Canadian abortion providers, and another in the US.

Michigan  06/16/07   Two women carrying bibles circled a Planned Parenthood health center. The security guard approached them to tell them they were trespassing and that they would have to leave. They claimed they were on public property (they were not), so the police were called. In the interim they attempted to approach patients but were prevented from doing so by the guard. When the police arrived the women left voluntarily.

Indiana  06/15/07  A Planned Parenthood health center received a call from a woman who seemed to be pretending to be 15 years old and in need of emergency contraception (EC). It was obvious that the call was being recorded. Later in the conversation the woman admitted she was the mother of a patient and that she objected to EC being provided to minors without an exam. The affiliate notified other area health centers to advise them that a woman posing as a minor might be recording calls.

Tennessee  06/04/07  An non-Planned Parenthood health center was robbed at gunpoint by three men, who were not masked. There have been no arrests, despite a large number of witnesses in the waiting room and lobby. The investigation remains open.

Washington  05/24/07  Verniessia Brown was convicted in Superior Court of telephone harassment for a bomb threat she called into a Planned Parenthood health center in January 2007. She was fined $500, received a 365-day suspended sentence, and the judge issued a “no contact” order naming Planned Parenthood health centers and the three employees who testified in court.

Texas  05/19/07  A threat of bodily harm was written on a Life Dynamics postcard and left on the automobile of a Planned Parenthood staff member. A police report was made. This threat was followed by two more threats delivered to the staff member’s home, and the investigation now includes the FBI.

Washington, DC  05/16/07  Members of the National Pro-Life Action Center, Black Pro-Life Union, Generation Life, and Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition held a press conference outside the U.S. Department of Justice, demanding details on the enforcement of the federal abortion ban.

Kansas  05/15/07  Approximately 175 protesters picketed a Planned Parenthood event featuring the pro-choice governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sibelius, and PPFA President Cecile Richards. The protesters were from Operation Rescue and The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. The event continued unimpeded, and no arrests were made.

Vermont  05/15/07  A Planned Parenthood affiliate received a suspicious package. Law enforcement determined that the contents of the envelope were harmless.

Virginia  05/09/07  A Planned Parenthood health center was the target of arson in the early morning hours. The building was unoccupied at the time and there were no injuries. The fire, which started in the waiting room, was extinguished quickly but there was smoke damage to much of the building. The center has reopened. There have been no arrests to date and the investigation remains open.

Minnesota  05/08/07  Staff discovered graffiti that could be interpreted as a bomb threat written in chalk on a ledge outside a Planned Parenthood health center. Law enforcement was notified.

Wisconsin  05/07/07  A Wisconsin Right to Life’s “40 Day Vigil” began with a very small number of protesters outside a health center.

Nebraksa  05/02/07   Seven members of the anti-choice group “Rescue the Heartland” were cited for illegal picketing in the residential neighborhood of an abortion clinic employee.

Washington  05/01/07  Ten picketers and a “Truth” Truck protested at a Planned Parenthood site, attempting to speak with patients and creating a traffic hazard by blocking visibility for drivers going in and out of the parking lot. The following day the same group appeared briefly at another Planned Parenthood site, before moving to a busier intersection nearby, then to a college campus.

Texas  04/25/07  Staff at an non-Planned Parenthood health center discovered a suspicious device on their lawn. Law enforcement safely detonated the device and determined it was an explosive device with the capability of exploding and causing injury or death.  No one was injured in the incident. Law enforcement arrested Paul Ross Evans, 27, and on 05/15/07 he was indicted on charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, using and carrying a destructive device, and possession of a destructive device by a convicted felon. Evans has previous convictions for robbery and burglary and is being held without bail.  He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

South Dakota  04/23/07  Providers at a Planned Parenthood health center received an anti-choice mailing delivered through U.S. mail, identical to mailings reported at several locations earlier this year. The envelopes were mailed from San Francisco.

California  04/19/07  Joel Joseph Robison, accused of threatening to kill a Planned Parenthood provider, pleaded no contest to reduced charges of felony attempted burglary and carrying a concealed firearm. Robison has been released on supervised probation.

Minnesota  04/18/07  A protester screamed harassing statements at all individuals entering and leaving a Planned Parenthood health center, including references linking the Virginia Tech shooter with the abortion issue.

Tennessee  04/05/07  Exactly one week after a vandalism incident in a public restroom located on the same floor as a Planned Parenthood health center, Planned Parenthood staff found anti-choice flyers had been placed on cars in their parking garage.

Minnesota  03/31/07  Police reported receiving a nonspecific threatening phone call against a Planned Parenthood health center. The call came from an individual known to have mental health issues. The affiliate took additional security precautions.

Tennessee  03/29/07  Vandals attacked the public women’s restroom located on the same floor as a Planned Parenthood health center, stuffing toilets with paper, and writing anti-choice statements on a wall and a door.

Colorado  03/14/07  Police were called four times in one day to the same Planned Parenthood health center. Protesters had increased recently, staying for much of the day and photographing everyone entering the building. On this day protesters trespassed onto Planned Parenthood property and were warned by law enforcement to stay off private property and to keep their children out of the driveway.