Posted on 07/29/2006 6:31:15 PM PDT by 4lifeandliberty
Below is an article that ran in The Fayetteville Observeron Thursday, July 27, 2006 just prior to LLM's Tour stops in Fayetteville N.C.
A pro-life group is planning to protest today outside a Fayetteville reproductive health center.
Life and Liberty Ministries, a pro-life organization based in Powhatan, Va., is visiting areas across North Carolina as part of its Face the Truth tour.
In Fayetteville, the organization plans to visit the Hallmark Clinic before going to another location in the afternoon. Details about the second location were not available Wednesday night.
“We plan to stand outside these clinics and distribute literature, show photographs of murdered preborns and provide one-on-one counseling,” said Dennis Green, director of the group. “We are a peaceful Christian organization of parents and grandparents, and we don’t want to cause any trouble.”
The Fayetteville Police Department has been talking with the organization over the size of the signs that it plans to display. A city ordinance prohibits any sign larger than 2 by 2 feet, but Green says the group plans to use signs that are 3 by 5.
“It’s not an issue of size, it’s an issue of freedom of speech,” Green said. “The Police Department wants our signs small enough so that they can’t be seen from the street.”
Jamie Smith, spokeswoman for the Police Department, said the issue is with the size of the signs, not the message.
Green said that city ordinances restricting sign sizes have been a problem in other cities in previous tours, which took the group to Virginia, Florida and New Hampshire.
“If police have raised an issue about city ordinance, our attorney has gotten in contact with officials and it is sorted out,” Green said. “Eventually, most localities realize that you can’t limit speech in that way if there’s no reason involved, such as safety. As far as I know, there isn’t.”
As of Wednesday night, Life and Liberty Ministries had not filed paperwork to complete its permit to picket. Smith said even if the group did not file the paperwork before it went to the clinics, it would not be a problem.
“They still have the opportunity to fill out the form on site. It’s very short and will only take a few moments,” Smith said. “If they refuse to fill it out and don’t leave the area when asked, they can then be arrested for refusal to disperse.”
Durham next stop Following a Friday morning demonstration on Eastern Boulevard, the organization is scheduled to visit Planned Parenthood in Durham. Officials said there has never been an organized protest at the clinic, just small groups of people that gather outside.
Paige Johnson, director of public affairs at Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, said she was not anticipating any problems with the organization and business would take place as usual.
“We believe that the most important thing is to keep our doors open,” Johnson said. “The Fayetteville program is all about education for kids and parents. We’ve had more people supporting us in our efforts to prevent teen pregnancies than have spoken against us.”
Fayetteville reproductive health clinics have been the target of attacks in the past. In September 1998, arsonists set fires at the Carolina Women’s Medical Clinic on Gillespie Street and the Hallmark Clinic on East Russell Street. Less than a month later, sticks of dynamite were discovered outside the same clinics. The dynamite was found to be capable of igniting, but it did not detonate. No injuries were reported.
Green said his organization was disappointed in the permit process and would take legal action against the city if it was prevented from showing the photographs.
“We’re not out to stir up trouble. We want to use a public location to just spread our word,” Green said. “When it comes down to having to ask permission to be on a public sidewalk, I feel that this is no longer the America that our Founding Fathers envisioned.”
By Jarel Loveless Staff writer
See photos at http://www.lifeandlibertyministries.com
It always amazes me how Libs are always so much about leaking US secrets, telling kids about sex and other religions, etc., but they're absolutely terrified that someone might learn an opposing view of abortion. Someone tried to explain to me that pro-choice wasn't pro-abortion because pro-choicers don't advocate abortion in all trouble situations, but I said "So if I said we should only behead women who sass their men, you wouldn't consider me anti-woman, just anti-sass?" (You can imagine how quickly he shook his head and wandered off.)
Hey man! Ever wonder why these orgainzations are so... "polite" will not reach, I think deferential probably fits better?
I mean here is this place making a fortune murdering babies and they refer to them as a clinic? I thought clinics saved lives.
What is wrong with "Butcher Shops", "Slaughterhouse" or "Avatar"? In the face of such horrible crimes they do not want hurt feelings?
Who's says there's no such thing as cosmic justice? :)
A city ordinance prohibits any sign larger than 2 by 2 feet, but Green says the group plans to use signs that are 3 by 5.
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