Birmingham youth arrested for Pro-Life activism

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Wow.

Any opinion out there whether there is grounds for legal action against the city of Birmingham? Just wondering.

Seems we are entering a new age here. May God bless these young folks.

-Tim
 
Okay, I read this story here and in the Birmingham paper online, and here is my take on this.

The group was from out of town, and they were standing outside a public high school with their signage and literature, which according to their own website, contains graphic images of aborted fetuses and the like.

They were told they needed to leave the premises, and they refused to. They only attempted to leave after the police had arrived.

I was raised Catholic, and I myself belonged to a pro-life youth group growing up. That being said, I can also say unequivocally that if some stranger showed up outside my daughter’s high school, handing out graphic literature and holding signs with pictures of aborted fetuses in front of minor children, I would call the police myself.

Could they not have made an adequate statement by going to an abortion clinic and protesting there? Why did they choose to go to a high school where minor children were leaving classes for the day and then refuse to leave and continue handing out disturbing pictures to those very same children? I have seen the pictures that mark their literature, and they are disturbing to me. I know what effect those type of pictures had on me as a child, and what effect they would have on any child with a good heart. There was absolutely no reason for this group to stand outside a school and demonstrate. I highly doubt that the school is carrying out abortions in its classrooms, and no effort was made on the protesters’ part to vacate the premises after being asked to leave by campus security until the police arrived.

Unless they were asking for proof of age on every single student that crossed their path, which we all know they were not doing or that would have been in the news report somewhere, they themselves were violating the rights of minor children to pass from their school to their buses or routes home unmolested and subjecting them to graphic images the children did not ask to be shown. They forced those children to view images they may not have been emotionally ready to view. In my opinion, the members of the Survivors group deserved to be arrested, and anytime they show up at a location they have no business being at, I hope they are arrested again. I would side with them if they were holding their protests at abortion clinics. Outside of a school, I cannot, in good conscience, condone.
 
colleenann said:
Okay, I read this story here and in the Birmingham paper online, and here is my take on this.

The group was from out of town, and they were standing outside a public high school with their signage and literature, which according to their own website, contains graphic images of aborted fetuses and the like.

They were told they needed to leave the premises, and they refused to. They only attempted to leave after the police had arrived.

I was raised Catholic, and I myself belonged to a pro-life youth group growing up. That being said, I can also say unequivocally that if some stranger showed up outside my daughter’s high school, handing out graphic literature and holding signs with pictures of aborted fetuses in front of minor children, I would call the police myself.

Could they not have made an adequate statement by going to an abortion clinic and protesting there? Why did they choose to go to a high school where minor children were leaving classes for the day and then refuse to leave and continue handing out disturbing pictures to those very same children? I have seen the pictures that mark their literature, and they are disturbing to me. I know what effect those type of pictures had on me as a child, and what effect they would have on any child with a good heart. There was absolutely no reason for this group to stand outside a school and demonstrate. I highly doubt that the school is carrying out abortions in its classrooms, and no effort was made on the protesters’ part to vacate the premises after being asked to leave by campus security until the police arrived.

Unless they were asking for proof of age on every single student that crossed their path, which we all know they were not doing or that would have been in the news report somewhere, they themselves were violating the rights of minor children to pass from their school to their buses or routes home unmolested and subjecting them to graphic images the children did not ask to be shown. They forced those children to view images they may not have been emotionally ready to view. In my opinion, the members of the Survivors group deserved to be arrested, and anytime they show up at a location they have no business being at, I hope they are arrested again. I would side with them if they were holding their protests at abortion clinics. Outside of a school, I cannot, in good conscience, condone.
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If they were protesting on public property, then the police have no case. The fact that they’re from out of town is irrelevant.
 
Actually, George, with all due respect, they might very well have a case. I know where I live, there are laws preventing persons from loitering or trepassing on school property, unless they have specific business that warrants their being there. Also, there are a number of jurisdictions that consider the sidewalk outside a school, typically used as a school bus zone, which is where the protesters were, a part of the school’s property, thus giving the school the right to ask them to leave.

The fact of the matter is that they had no business being at the school, showing children horrific pictures that depict dead fetuses. They were asked to leave, they did not. Just as if they were at a restaurant disrupting business and were subject to arrest if they did not leave, the police had every right to arrest them.
 
Unless they were asking for proof of age on every single student that crossed their path, which we all know they were not doing or that would have been in the news report somewhere, they themselves were violating the rights of minor children to pass from their school to their buses or routes home unmolested and subjecting them to graphic images the children did not ask to be shown.
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They forced those children to view images they may not have been emotionally ready to view. In my opinion, the members of the Survivors group deserved to be arrested, and anytime they show up at a location they have no business being at, I hope they are arrested again. I would side with them if they were holding their protests at abortion clinics. Outside of a school, I cannot, in good conscience, condone.
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But what about Free Speech? You’re advocating censorship because you find the means they used to demonstrate their message repugnant. Saving innocent human life is a very important message.

Not all these young people will go onto college; and I know the public high school I attended a while back never discussed the issue of abortion.

These minors (14-18) are well on they’re way to becoming the American citizens of tomorrow.

Well, I’ve done some petition signature collecting work, and yeah, as far as I know, if you’re on a public sidewalk, you are, under the U.S. Constitution, allowed to discuss your message in a civil manner.

The problem is, often, government buildings are often designed
so the sidewalks are like a hundred feet away from the post office door.

I tried to get closer and went on the post office or state property near the door to reach people, and would you guess it?? Every government bureaucrat, state or Federal, told me to go on the sidewalk a hundred feet away.

If you’re actually on the grounds / property of the government building, you have to leave as soon as they ask you too.

No one ever welcomed the fact that I was gathering signatures for an Election for some ballot proposals.

But I’m afraid a lot of people will agree with Colleenann; these kids aren’t supposed to think about mothers who murder their children.

No, they shouldn’t think at all. Go through the diploma mill, and then pay your Federal and State Taxes, and all will be fine and dandy.

Otherwise, the Birmingham Police Department might arrest you and shut you up and throw you in a jail cell for expressing your First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Call the cop; better not to think about abortion; we can’t have that.

We can’t have that happen even though we have a First Amendment which hundreds of thousands of men and women of this nation have fought and died for that right at Shiloh, Belleau Wood Omaha Beach, Iwo Jima, Inchon, and Selma, Alabama.

BTW, stuff like these Birmingham Arrests have happened in Michigan too with some people using public sidewalks or public roads protesting abortion or the Iraq War. The people are arrested, and everytime, if they fight it legally, as far as I’ve seen, their right to be there has been upheld under the Constitiution (it is often a lengthy and expensive process).

In my opinion, it is just way too easy for the authorities to have police arrest people who are communicating messages they do not agree with.

Given the school setting however, it would just depend on how the judge feels or thinks about this issue. I could see a judge using their judicial power to carve an exception to the U.S. Constitutional right because, as I mentioned, these young men and women aren’t really supposed to think too hard.

I bet they would have protected the Klan.😉
 
I must agree with collee. They had no business being at the school in the first place. As for handing graphic pictures of dead fetuses to children, I most strongly object. If someone gave my daughter or teenage son pictures of that kind that had better pray the police get to them before I do! I’m not saying that we should do nothing, just not at a school full of children.
 
jspencer said:
I must agree with collee. They had no business being at the school in the first place. As for handing graphic pictures of dead fetuses to children, I most strongly object. If someone gave my daughter or teenage son pictures of that kind that had better pray the police get to them before I do! I’m not saying that we should do nothing, just not at a school full of children.
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Abortions are going up for youth 11 years old and over. I believe it is because of the “safe sex”, “everyone is doing it” attitude in the public sector. Our children must be shown what abortion truly is. In fact I believe many of those that are pro-choice need to have their eyes opened to what abortion truly is.

I will play “devils” advocate here. If the youth of this country, indeed the world, do not see what abortion is then how will they overcome the misinformation the government is placing in the schools?

I really hate the evil shown in those pictures as it is sickening and yes disturbing. Yet I also know of many people that for some reason think that abortion is a nice clean ending for an indiscretion. The fact is what is forcibly removed from the woman is not a blood clot or wad of gum.
 
There are two issues that are being mixed together. The first is whether they should have been doing it. The second is whether the police were violating their civil rights. To my knowledge a public sidewalk is free speech territory. The same issue has come up many times when it comes to sidewalks outside abortion clinics. The courts have always held that citizens are free to demonstrate on public sidewalks outside abortion clinics. I assume that if they take it to court, the court will uphold the right for them to pass out literature outside the school. Whether or not someone dislikes the message is irrelevant to the legal issue involved.
 
jspencer and colee - Where do you find any indication that there were graphic images of any kind being used by the pro-life group? Many pro-lifers do not use graphic images at all in their demonstrations. I did not see anything in the articles about such things.
 
By Kathleen GilbertBIRMINGHAM, Alabama, February 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Members of a pro-life protest group have accused Birmingham police of violating their civil rights by bullying and arresting the group for peacefully spread their message on a public sidewalk.According to a press…

Full article…
 
colleenann said:
Actually, George, with all due respect, they might very well have a case. I know where I live, there are laws preventing persons from loitering or trepassing on school property, unless they have specific business that warrants their being there. Also, there are a number of jurisdictions that consider the sidewalk outside a school, typically used as a school bus zone, which is where the protesters were, a part of the school’s property, thus giving the school the right to ask them to leave.

The fact of the matter is that they had no business being at the school, showing children horrific pictures that depict dead fetuses. They were asked to leave, they did not. Just as if they were at a restaurant disrupting business and were subject to arrest if they did not leave, the police had every right to arrest them.
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Actually, Colleen, the first two paragraphs of the article clearly states that they were on a public sidewalk:

Nine wrongfully arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for distributing pro-life literature on a public sidewalk …while handing out pro-life literature near Parker High School.

It doesn’t matter if the sidewalk was near or even right next to school property. It’s not school property period, and the protesters had a right to be there to protest abortion or whatever else they wanted.
 
colleenann said:
Okay, I read this story here and in the Birmingham paper online, and here is my take on this.

The group was from out of town, and they were standing outside a public high school with their signage and literature, which according to their own website, contains graphic images of aborted fetuses and the like.

They were told they needed to leave the premises, and they refused to. They only attempted to leave after the police had arrived.

I was raised Catholic, and I myself belonged to a pro-life youth group growing up. That being said, I can also say unequivocally that if some stranger showed up outside my daughter’s high school, handing out graphic literature and holding signs with pictures of aborted fetuses in front of minor children, I would call the police myself.

Could they not have made an adequate statement by going to an abortion clinic and protesting there? Why did they choose to go to a high school where minor children were leaving classes for the day and then refuse to leave and continue handing out disturbing pictures to those very same children? I have seen the pictures that mark their literature, and they are disturbing to me. I know what effect those type of pictures had on me as a child, and what effect they would have on any child with a good heart. There was absolutely no reason for this group to stand outside a school and demonstrate. I highly doubt that the school is carrying out abortions in its classrooms, and no effort was made on the protesters’ part to vacate the premises after being asked to leave by campus security until the police arrived.

Unless they were asking for proof of age on every single student that crossed their path, which we all know they were not doing or that would have been in the news report somewhere, they themselves were violating the rights of minor children to pass from their school to their buses or routes home unmolested and subjecting them to graphic images the children did not ask to be shown. They forced those children to view images they may not have been emotionally ready to view. In my opinion, the members of the Survivors group deserved to be arrested, and anytime they show up at a location they have no business being at, I hope they are arrested again. I would side with them if they were holding their protests at abortion clinics. Outside of a school, I cannot, in good conscience, condone.
Click to expand...
No where in either article does it say anything about “graphic images”.
 
jspencer said:
I must agree with collee. They had no business being at the school in the first place. As for handing graphic pictures of dead fetuses to children, I most strongly object. If someone gave my daughter or teenage son pictures of that kind that had better pray the police get to them before I do! I’m not saying that we should do nothing, just not at a school full of children.
Click to expand...
No where in either article does it say anything about any “graphic images”.
 
It bothers me that people are more appalled with pictures of aborted babies than the abortion itself.
Of course I don’t like the pictures but that what abortion is. I don’t hold any pictures when I go to the locale abortion mill. I just pray.

I know the law and these students were wrongfully arrested ….period.
 
I wish the article would give the other side of the story. Do the police have a legal justification, or is it just the wild west there with no respect for law?
 
When I read the article, I thought initially that it was the 1950’s and 1960’s again with how the police were treating the protesters. I’m not merely talking about the arrests, but also the attitude “You’re in Alabama now,” “not for non-citizens.”
 
I commend those young people and their youth leader for taking a stand and showing the evil of abortion.:clapping:

As Blessed Mother Teresa said:
“Smile at the hand that strikes you, kiss the hand that is nailing you to the cross”.

I hope they sue. They have every right to. They were not only abused by this, their property damaged, their first amendment rights violated, held against their will, with no charges filed, this whole thing was a sham.

People do need to see the truth, people need to wake up and realize that it is a baby, with or without graphic pictures, no where does it mention graphic pictures at all, but even if they were used, how else are some going to know what abortion really is when they are being fed so many lies from so many other false sources?

It took a dozen police cars to come after these peaceful people? :whacky:
 
Many pro-choicers believe a teenager is able to make a decision on abortion and want to remove parental consent, but they don’t think teens can handle the pictures? Something is definately wrong with that “picture”.
 
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