by Brooke & Margo, Seattle Refuse & Resist!
Help with financial support for clinic defense in Wichita
July 21, 2001
This morning we arrived at the clinic much earlier than the antis and secured all of the areas most visible to the patients and staff entering the clinic. Although the number of protesters (on both sides) turned out to be about the same, we met some cool new clinic defenders who drove in from nearby towns and universities after hearing we needed them. Today, Dr. Tiller placed a large sign in the middle of the clinic driveway that simply and defiantly stated, "Women need abortions and I'm going to do them." Two anti-abortion clergy were voluntarily arrested for symbolically blocking the street. Guess they didn't want to seem less dedicated than their pro-choice opposition!
The last of the R&R! crew left Wichita on Saturday after clinic defense. Pro-choice supporters came from all over the country to keep the Women Health Care Services clinic open, and the antis weren't able to shut it down for a minute! In 1991, a reported 30,000 anti-abortion protesters converged on Wichita, almost completely unopposed. This time, even though they threatened to "finish the job," Operation Save America was only able to mobilize about 500 antis -- and they were opposed wherever they went and at every local and national press opportunity. Although the battle reproductive freedom is far from over, we wrote history this time around. This e-mail, from a local Wichita woman, was posted on the Wichita Choice Alliance website:
"Having spent a week at the front lines, I want to thank all the wonderful groups who participated -- especially the young people from various organizations. Their commitment has been astounding. We did it! We kept the clinic open, and were visible as support for patients and as a challenge to Christian fascism. We reclaimed our city! And I will never forget my experience working with others as a clinic defender -- it was transformative -- I love you all!"
We met so many amazing people this week, from the ZAP direct action group folks and the Wichita Choice Alliance organizer who welcomed us into their homes, to the youth from Anti-Racist Action who set an incredible example of solidarity in the trenches by coming to the aid of anyone who needed it. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, who boldly supported women as moral beings who can make their own decisions, has much respect. And so do the organizers from the Wichita Choice Alliance and the Feminist Majority, for setting the stage weeks beforehand, so that a national pro-choice voice could be heard above the lies and woman-hating of OSA.
An anti-choice man who kept walking up to pro-choice women throughout the week with his young daughter by the hand, said something that we believe sums up the political position of Operation Save America and all their allies. He said, "When this beautiful young girl grows up, she's going to have lots of babies and submit to her husband, just like her mother."
The antis stand for forcing women into motherhood, making us slaves to our own reproduction and the inequality that exists between men and women in this world. We who support abortion rights stand for enabling women to decide for themselves what to do with their own lives. All of us who went to Wichita have decided to dedicate part of our lives to defeating OSA's whole reactionary agenda and to defending reproductive freedom no matter what it takes.
As we in Refuse & Resist! say,
To the racists and women-haters,
To the gay-bashers and welfare slashers,
To the prison-builders and executioners,
We say: The future is not yours!
We will Refuse & Resist!
July 20, 2001
Last night we held a debriefing session and made plans for today. We found that, depending on where you were stationed and who you encountered, we all had different experiences at the protest on Thursday. Some of us were being shadowed or harassed by antis, while others were able to focus on countering the anti-choice demonstrators and making sure the larger Wichita community could see our banners and knew pro-choice people were there.
We learned that activists with Anti-Racist Action had been penned into a small area by antis all day, and that they had remained unprovoked but defiant in the face of it. Amazing! Because, believe us, there is nothing like paternalistic praying and horrible Christian pop music right in your ears to grate on your last nerve! Some of us decided to go to that same area today to provide some backup. It was the area right across from the entrance to the clinic parking lot, and we proudly planted our banner that said "Protect and Defend Abortion Providers -- Whatever it Takes, the Christian Fascists Must Be Stopped!"
Operation Save America has been continuing with their parades around the perimeter of the clinic each day. Today, as teens from the anti-choice "Rock for Life" walked by, we made fun of their horrible taste in music as represented by the Christian contemporary that was playing over the PA system. It seemed to hit them where it hurt -- the cool factor -- and they, for once, had nothing stupid to say! The Rock for Life logo is a cartoon fetus playing a guitar inside a circle. We're not sure if these youth have figured this out, but the circle is a womb that is part of a woman's body. And it's sad that we have to actually say this, but fetuses don't play guitars. Word.
Today we got news that some Chicago folks were taking on the "Prolife Action League" as they toured through town in one of their fetus mobiles. The antis call their lies a "Truth Tour." But R&R! Chicago joined with Chicago NOW and others to expose their true agenda and turned out just as many pro-choice people as antis! We got an e-mail saying, "We will be there, in their face, bringing with us the spirit of Wichita."
Not to end on a negative note, but today witnessed more anti-choice harassment that can't go unmentioned. A companion of Jonathan O'Toole chased an abortion rights supporter down the block and around her car, and Rev. Katherine Ragsdale, an Episcopal priest from Boston and a representative of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, has been continuously followed, harassed, and now assaulted physically, by Ken Scott. As noted on the Wichita Choice Alliance website, which gives a full account of the incident at http://wichitachoice.org/choice5.html, "Scott is a longtime anti-choice protester from Denver who has targeted Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and Warren Hern's clinic in Boulder for harassment and violence. His wife was convicted of arson against a clinic in California. Ken Scott has been involuntarily committed several times."
In spite of all this, THE CLINIC IS OPEN, and not one pro-choice protester has been intimidated away from defending it. And every day we gain a deeper understanding of what the anti-abortion Christian fascists of OSA truly represent, and how to unite with our allies to take them on more effectively.
Now we're off to a pool party hosted by some of our new friends from the Wichita Choice Alliance and Wichita NOW. The folks from ARA talked us into it. Twist our legs, why don't ya!?! Time for some fun and relaxation to get ready for our last day of clinic defense tomorrow. It's a Saturday, so both sides are expecting reinforcements.
July 19, 2001
This morning, we again arrived at the clinic to find the antis lining the fence on both sides of the clinic parking lot entrance, even though we arrived earlier in the morning than yesterday. It's terrible enough that the clinic has to be permanently fortified with a high stone wall in order to protect the patients and staff! Our hearts go out to the women and their loved ones who were forced to drive a gauntlet of screaming, preying Right-to-Run-Your-Lifers in order to get the healthcare they need and deserve. We considered trying to compete with the antis for the same space, but thought better of it. After all, in order for the patients to see our pro-choice signs, they would also have to look at the hateful and dishonest signs waved by the antis.
Instead, we decided to secure areas where we could send a strong, uninfiltrated, pro-choice message. We took the sidewalk facing the busy highway, as well as both sides of the beginning of the driveway, so that we would be the first thing the patients saw. As the anti-abortion harassers, who call themselves "counselors" approached the cars of women, screaming "Please Mommy, don't kill me. Take me home Mommy. It's not too late!," and tried to force anti-choice propaganda literature into the patients' faces, pro-choice protesters stepped onto the street impeding the antis and chanted "Pro-Choice, Pro-Choice, Pro-Choice" while blocking their literature and signs with our signs that said "We support YOUR choice" and "This Clinic Stays Open." 
As the Wichita Choice Alliance updates said, "It is clear "Operation Save America" isn't here just to pray. On Tuesday, their strategy was to heighten tensions, jostle, shove and barricade pro-choice clinic defenders with large, heavy wooden signs, and cry 'foul' to the police every time a clinic defender held her or his ground." Yesterday, they used this strategy and their anti-choice allegiance with the police to arrest a pro-choice sister and brother. Today, anti-choice "freelance photographers" for the "Christian Gallery" stalked pro-choice activists, taking their photos to be published on websites which feature photos of patients, clinic staff, cars with license plate numbers, and pro-choice protesters.
But we turned the camera on them too! One activist did a video interview with Army of God member Jonathon O'Toole, an anti-abortion extremist featured in the HBO movie "Soldiers in the Army of God." He was distributing a reproduction of a velvet fetus painting done by Bob Lokey, another extremist who travels around with a truck filled with explosives. O'Toole proceeded to tell us on tape that the killing of abortion providers was justifiable homicide and a blessing from God. He also expressed his desire to see all of California hit by an earthquake and swept into the ocean!
When pro-choice organizers pointed out the presence of these terrorists, the cops claimed ignorance and expressed no concern for public safety. To top it all off, there were reports of one clinic defender being followed home the day before, and a prominent member of the Religious Coalition being crank-called and victimized by a drive-by assault at her home. WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED! Doctors and clinic staff risk their lives every day to defend abortion rights for all of us. We will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them no matter what it takes. 
At a little before noon, we left the clinic for Woodard Park, the site of Operation Save America's abhorrent "fetus funeral." A tiny white coffin was surrounded by the familiar bloody fetus signs and a long procession of antis passed by the open casket, picked up the fetus jar, and kissed it! On a grassy knoll in the park, Refuse & Resist! held a pro-choice speak-out to remember the real human lives lost in the struggle for abortion rights: the seven abortion providers who have been murdered at the hands of the antis and the thousands of women who have died from illegal abortions prior to Roe v. Wade. We also gathered to honor the courage of Dr. George Tiller and learned a little about his life from Rev. George Gardner who formed Kansas Religious Leaders for Choice. Sara Miller, from the National Abortion Federation, told us that George Tiller often waives the entire fee to provide abortions for low income women. We also spent time talking about our own experiences with abortion. Our stories countered the lies designed to make women feel ashamed of making the responsible choice to have an abortion and determine the destinies of our own lives.
July 18, 2001
Today was a heated battle. On our way to the clinic, we got a call letting us know that the antis had beat us to the clinic and were lined up against the fence on both sides of the entrance, separated from patient cars by only a flimsy barricade. A few of our pro-choice comrades had managed to secure spots on the fence and we were not about to leave them isolated. Representatives from RCRC, ARA and R&R! called a quick huddle and made a plan. We decided to link arms and snake our way in front of the antis and block as much of the perimeter as we could. We moved quickly and the antis and police were caught unaware. It seemed like slow motion but it was probably only about 30 seconds: We were in. The antis started whining to the police and pointing fingers. "They're pushing! We were here first!" they said. Too bad! We came to Wichita to keep this clinic open and right is on our side! 
For six hours, all of us faced off against the antis. Sometimes we focused on securing an area. We chanted, "The people have spoken! The clinic is open!" and "No Nazis, No OSA, No Fascist USA!" ARA brought a boom box and noise makers which we used to drown out their paternalistic preaching, bible-thumping and the worst of Christian contemporary music. There were many battles of the banners. They antis hated R&R!'s huge neon orange Abortion on Demand and Without Apology banner. Some teenage nazi youth-in-training (They did actually attend an anti-abortion boot camp prior to the protests!) kept trying to block the banner with their fetus flag. Yes, literally a lavender and black flag with a graphic of an angelic looking pink fetus!
Again, the police were working closely with the anti-abortion side. They let the Operation Save America leaders inside the barricades dangerously close to the clinic, let the antis use a very loud sound system to amplify their lies, confiscated pro-choice signs and banners when we put them down, and arrested 2 activists: a woman from the Reproductive Freedom Task Force of Refuse & Resist! and a man with Anti-Racist Action. We believe that our sister from Refuse & Resist! was targeted because she is a key organizer of our work here in Wichita. The bail was set at $3,000 cash per person. From what we understand at this writing, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice was instrumental in raising bail for both activists. We are expecting them to be released any time now! They'll both be back at the clinic with us tomorrow morning.
Today was a victory even though we were outnumbered. (There were about 50 of us and 200 of them.) In spite of everything, we succeeded at keeping the clinic open. And the politics of R&R! are definitely having an impact. An OSA leader singled out and addressed Refuse & Resist! during one of their speeches, calling on us to be against abortion since we're against the death penalty, and accusing us of being inconsistent. What a load of shit! Everyone knows that they're pro death penalty, pro doctor murder, pro clinic bombing....So many things that were said and done by the antis today exposed their true agenda as a fascist movement in the U.S. Their parades are like watching the march of Nazi storm troopers. When Brooke was walking behind Keith Tucci to video tape him, he turned around and said, "Brooke! You need to stop following me. My wife's gonna be here any minute and she might get jealous!" Gross!!! It's impossible for these women-haters to relate to a woman as a political opponent. All they can see is a sexual object. OSA also took special issue with gay and lesbian people. They called on homosexuals to repent, and one anti we were facing off against said pro-choice people don't have children because we're all lesbians and homosexuals. Gee, they say it like it's a bad thing!
That's all for now! Time for another strategy meeting and early to bed.
Checks can be made out to Refuse & Resist!
305 Madison Ave. Suite 1166
New York, New York 10165
In memo, put: for RFTF bail funds
Please forward this message.
July 17, 2001
Operation Save America today brought about 300 people to the streets of Wichita, marching around Dr. Tiller's clinic with giant graphic distorted images they purport to be aborted fetuses. As clinic defenders attempted to prevent the antis from swarming around the cars of patients approaching the clinic, the police told us to stay on the sidewalk, to not "make trouble." Trouble? As we attempted to defend women's freedom, the cops made deals with anti's to allow them to harass women with their literature full of lies and distortions. Trouble? A security guard at an abortion clinic in Melbourne, Australia was shot dead Sunday. Trouble? Every day women have to travel hundreds of miles to obtain abortion services. And every day women and clinic workers are harassed, threatened, and intimidated. A climate of shame surrounds the abortion decision, already made difficult enough by the pressure society places on women to procreate. Trouble? These people are the ones making trouble for women and doctors every day. And today the police in Wichita conspired in that.
The deal the anti's made with local officials allows them to parade past Dr. Tiller's clinic twice a day for an hour each time - at 10 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. During their morning parade, we chanted "Shame! Shame!" as they marched in the heat, using small children as props, waving their bloody fetus and Holocaust signs. We also shouted "Thank you, Dr. Tiller. You're our hero!, attempting to drown out the sound of the antis in case it was reaching the patients and staff inside.
When we went to lunch to refuel for our second shift of defending the clinic from the parading anti's, we learned that they had cancelled what was to be their second parade of the day, supposedly due to heat. (One of their elderly clergymen collapsed from heat stroke.) The news just announced that they won't be having their afternoon parade tomorrow either, but will still march past the clinic tomorrow morning, but this time mostly in cars and tractors! We'll be out there on our feet in the blazing sun, as long as we need to be to keep the clinic safe and open. Tonight we had a strategizing meeting with folks from RCRC and ARA about how to tighten our clinic defense ranks. We're repairing our banners, making new signs, and getting ready to get out to the clinic very early tomorrow morning!
July 16, 2001
We were out of the house this morning by 5 am amidst rain and lightning. The pro-choice forces beat the antis to the clinic and secured the areas in front of the clinic entrance as well as the side facing the busy highway. The fence to Dr. Tiller's clinic had been defaced with red paint. When the antis did arrive, they were small in number and we wondered where the *&%! they all were. Soon we got word that they were holding banners over bridges and we sent some of our forces out to counter them. We found them praying in a huddled mass and followed them to their gathering place for the "Jesus is the Standard" parade and rally. Although we were outnumbered, a few of us held our bright orange "Abortion on Demand & Without Apology" banner. We were approached by all kinds of crazies. Some "Prayer Warriors," a woman and her young son, stood behind us and raised their hands over our heads in prayer! They asked us personal questions like, "Have you ever been pregnant?" "Have you every had an abortion?" "What was your family like?" Brooke told them that by supporting this so-called "pro-life" movement, they're fueling the fires of hate in the extremists which, in turn, makes an environment where they feel justified in killing abortion providers and clinic workers.
When they lined up for their parade, headed by American flags and a "Jesus is the Standard" banner, we lined up next to them with our "Abortion on Demand & Without Apology" banner and chanted "Women are the standard!" There were about 500 of them and they stretched the parade out with Fetus Mobiles (trucks covered with huge color billboards of mutilated, well-developed fetuses) and a man dressed up like the Grim Reaper. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, wearing t-shirts that said, "Pro-Faith, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice" lined up nearby--the clergy members wearing their collars. Anti-Racist Action youth took on the "Rock for Life" anti-choice youth, standing strong for women's lives having precedent over fetuses.
Later at the lunch at the United Methodist church, which was so yummy, Margo talked with an older activist who identified himself as a Quaker about what happened at the anti-choice parade. He said that one of the male marchers was chanting , "Women are property!" and said he couldn't believe his hearing aide!
When we got home, we heard a bunch of bad news. A clinic in Baton Rouge, Louisiana was burned to the ground, a security guard for a clinic in Melbourne, Australia was shot dead, and here in Wichita, Dr. Tiller's clinic received a bomb threat. All part of the deadly climate created by these Christian fascists of OSA!!! We also learned that an injunction that allowed for barricades to be erected around the clinic to keep the antis at a distance had been overturned by the courts. Now Operation Save America is planning to parade around the clinic twice a day and will be able to get dangerously close to the women visiting the clinic. It looks like we will be very outnumbered at the clinic tomorrow, and all of the pro-choice groups are doing what we can to gather more forces. Please join us here in Wichita if you can! We are determined to get our voices heard and defend abortion rights.
July 15, 2001
We woke up in the morning to find Brooke's picture in the Wichita Eagle newspaper chanting in the televangelist face of Flip Venom himself! That's two for two! When we arrived at the clinic for our shift later that day, a security guard was throwing bouquets of flowers to us from within the walls of the clinic saying "Thank you." We heard that a group of activists from Anti-Racist Action (ARA) had arrived and were already being harassed by the police. There were only about a dozen antis lurking around and, after they left, we decided to call it an early night and rest up for a 4:15 am wake-up call the next morning. As we were walking back to our cars loaded up with signs, two different cars stopped to offer us rides. It's great to feel that support from the Wichita community. The clinic will be open tomorrow so we're expecting more antis to be there. We're looking forward to working with the Wichita Choice Alliance, RCRC, ARA, and the Feminist Majority to keep the clinic open and safe.
July 14, 2001
"Make no mistake. This battle is about self-determination by women of the direction and course of their lives and their family's lives. Abortion is about women's hopes and dreams. Abortion is a matter of survival for women." - Dr. George Tiller
Today we woke up early and headed over to the Unitarian Universalist church for breakfast provided by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). We spent time at the church making signs, watched a video about the antis called "Soldiers in the Army of God," and shared protest strategies. RCRC will be practicing a pro-choice "peaceful presence" -- silent prayer, not engaging the antis -- while R&R! will be chanting, singing and shadowing the antis with our bodies, signs and voices. There is a united commitment to working together with a diversity of approaches.
We arrived at Dr. George Tiller's Clinic, Women's Health Care Services, for the first time tonight. We beat the antis to punch and staked out the prime pro-choice territory, putting up our signs, banners and a beautiful huge mural made in support of the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. The antis were holding a 24-hour vigil and fasting for a whole six hours. (News for the antis: It's called skipping a meal!) R&R! called for a counter vigil. With the support of RCRC, some interns from the Feminist Majority, Wichita Choice Alliance members, and other people from the community, we protested together for the first few hours. Cars speeding by honked in support and we made it impossible for the press to cover the vigil without acknowledging the pro-choice presence. R&R! activists surrounded the kneeling, praying, crying, hand-waving antis. While they sang about Jesus (They just couldn‘t stop talking about this guy!), we sang, "A woman has a right to live, A woman has a right to choose, A woman has a right to have a child, and She has a right to refuse!" We held signs over the anti's leader's heads that said "Abortion Saves Women's Lives" and "Thank You, Dr. Tiller! You Are Our Hero!" Many of the abortion rights protesters had to leave when it got late, but R&R! was not about to let the anti's camp outside of Dr. Tiller's clinic unopposed. We decided to break up into 4 hour shifts, giving each other breaks to sleep.
Once they could no longer be caught on camera, the antis started to show their even darker side, and exposed their TRUE agenda. A young woman from the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade was compelled to take on the anti's when they told us that "women are the weaker vessel." As we held a candle light vigil for the seven abortion providers killed by the anti choice extremists, a woman walked by with her young child and said to us, "I pray that more of them get killed." There were also direct threats made against protesters by antis who said it would be convenient if we were killed also.
July 13, 2001
We arrived in Wichita tonight and were welcomed into the home of a longtime activist. She remembers when Operation Rescue descended on Wichita 10 years ago for several weeks clinic blockades. She tells us the antis went largely unopposed and that they've never really left. She also shared stories of tracking the antis and opposing them wherever they reared their hateful heads. She's happy to see so many pro-choice people in town this time around and wants to help in whatever ways she can. She and her network of local activist friends have been so supportive in every way: donating money for supplies, sharing space for relaxing and recharging, making phone calls to rouse support from locals, just providing whatever we need. We love them!!!
Later we met up with some of the other R&R! activists, students from Antioch College, youth from the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade, and members of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice who earlier that day had challenged Flip Benham, the head of Operation Save America, at a press conference outside of the barricaded clinic of Dr. George Tiller. Karen, from the R&R! Reproductive Freedom Task Force, got in Flip's face and asked him to wear an "Abortion on Demand & Without Apology" sticker. Flip declined, but the picture made it into the Wichita Eagle newspaper. Plus we outnumbered the antis! Mission accomplished.
[updated 7/29/01]
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