I have been doing a bit of research here and there on clinic escorting prior to FACE. Half for the internet and half for my own personal notes, here’s a chunk out of a case in Connecticut that got filed in 1996 for violations of FACE.
I cut out certain portions of this — mostly they were redundant items under 17, like ‘Defendant Scott shoves escorts while they assist clients,’ variations of which occur about 10 times in this brief.
3 months ago • 2 notes13. Over the past several years, the protests at Summit frequently have been physically confrontational and obstructive. Protesters have pushed, shoved, bumped, stepped on or engaged in other physical contact with volunteer clinic escorts, staff and clients, and impeded their access to and egress from the clinic.
14. This physically confrontational and obstructive conduct has continued unabated since the enactment of FACE. The defendants, in particular, have engaged in a continuous and consistent pattern of physical contact and/or obstructing access and egress of clinic escorts, clients and staff to and from the clinic.
15. Defendants Scott and Riley have threatened clinic staff.
17. On various dates since the enactment of FACE, defendant Scott has pushed, shoved, bumped, stepped on and/or engaged in other physical contact with individuals who are or have been, or in order to intimidate such persons or any other person or class of persons from, obtaining or providing reproductive health services, including, but not limited to the following incidents:
a. In or around July or August 1994, defendant Scott pushed escort Ann Scheps from behind as she was standing beside a clinic client’s car.
b. On or about January 14, 1995, defendant Scott pushed escort Anne Fogel as she was escorting a clinic client.
c. On or about February 18, 1995, defendant Scott pushed two Wesleyan student escorts as they were escorting a clinic client to the bus stop.
d. On or about February 18, 1995, defendant Scott pushed escort Lynda Bluestein as she was assisting a clinic client.
e. On or about February 21, 1995, defendant Scott pushed the clinic’s private security guard, Randy Peterson, as he was attempting to assist a clinic client.
f. On or about March 14, 1995, defendant Scott pushed escort Barbara Arnn as she was escorting a clinic client.
g. On or about March 14, 1995, defendant Scott pushed escort Carol Broadman as she was escorting a clinic client.
h. On or about April 8, 1995, defendant Scott pushed clinic staffperson, Maria G. Melendez, as she was coming to work and escorting a clinic client.
k. On or about July 11, 1995, defendant Scott kicked escort Joann Davidson as she was escorting a clinic client.
n. On or about December 2, 1995, defendant Scott pushed escort Norman Harris as he was escorting clinic clients.
p. On or about April 13, 1996, defendant Scott pushed escorts Lynda Bluestein and Norman Harris as they were escorting clinic clients.
18. Defendants Scott and Vazquez engage in varying degrees of obstructive conduct on a regular basis at Summit. Two examples of this conduct are: 1) a demonstrator getting in front of clinic escorts, clients or companions as they are being escorted into the clinic and slowing down or coming to a complete stop so as to impede the ability of these individuals to continue walking; and 2) a demonstrator making it unreasonably difficult for clinic clients or their companions to get in or out of their cars when going to or leaving Summit.
19. Incidents of obstructive conduct by defendants Scott and Vazquez include, but are not limited to:
a. On or about February 21, 1995, defendant Scott obstructed a clinic client from exiting a car.
b. On or about February 25, 1995, defendant Scott obstructed a clinic client from exiting a car.
c. On or about March 14, 1995, defendant Scott obstructed a clinic client from exiting a car.
d. On or about April 4, 1995, defendant Vazquez obstructed a client as she was approaching the clinic.
e. On or about April 18, 1995, defendant Scott obstructed free passage to the clinic.
f. On or about May 23, 1995, defendant Vazquez obstructed a clinic client from exiting a car.
20. Frequently, when the TRUTH Squad, Operation Rescue and/or other anti-abortion groups demonstrate at the clinic, the sheer number of individuals who converge in front of the clinic and its narrow entryway impedes clinic staff’s, escorts’ and clients’ access to and egress from the clinic.
21. Clinic clients frequently tell demonstrators, including the defendants, that they are not interested in talking or listening to them and ask to be left alone. The clinic clients’ requests almost always go unheeded.
22. Defendants Scott and Vazquez routinely yell directly into the clinic entryway or up toward the second floor of the clinic building where the clinic’s waiting room is located. This yelling can be heard inside the clinic waiting area.
23. Prior to the clinic-related murders in Brookline, Massachusetts on December 30, 1994, defendant Scott had made a threatening statement to the clinic administrator. Shortly after the murders, both defendants Scott and Riley made threatening statements to clinic employees and others:
a. On or about December 3, 1994, defendant Scott said to clinic administrator Jeanne Rosen, “you may be young, but you can still die early.”
b. On or about January 3, 1995, soon after the Brookline murders, defendant Riley said to Summit employee, Milagros Luna, “‘95, you are next.”
c. On or about February 21, 1995, defendant Scott said to the private security guard, “[a] bullet could come your way today.”
d. On or about April 15, 1995, defendant Scott threatened a Bridgeport police officer.
24. Defendants’ conduct has and continues to injure and/or intimidate clinic staff, clients and escorts and/or interfere with the ability of staff to provide, and clients to obtain, reproductive health services. Clinic clients are often brought to tears and made extremely agitated by defendants’ conduct. This agitation increases the medical risk of the procedures that these patients undergo.
