For those unfamiliar with the activities at Planned Parenthood in Everett, there is a several-year history of mostly religious persons from local churches as well as church leaders from as far away as Tennessee protesting abortion at the facility.
This protesting has taken many forms; typically groups of people with signs who attempt to dissuade patients from entering the facility. They have gone so far as to stand in the driveway in an attempt to stop vehicles entering and leaving the facility. Many have created graphic posters and screamed horrible things at the patients. Some have videoed patients. Some have physically accosted patients resulting in court cases. The protests have gotten so out of hand that law enforcement has been required to place barriers on the sidewalks to keep the protesters away from the patients, and from the counter protesters.
The latest affront is chalked hate messages on the sidewalks surrounding the facility, by people who choose to carry out protests in the form of anonymously defacing the sidewalks. These are public sidewalks where people of all ages walk, many unaware as to why someone would write such horrible things on a public sidewalk.
Good citizens have taken it upon themselves to clean this up, but now once again law enforcement will be required to investigate who is carrying out this hate messaging. Hate speech has no place on the streets of Everett regardless of how you feel about this health care facility.
Karen Knapp
Snohomish
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