Its been awhile since I was last motivated to post something on this blog, but my experience yesterday definitely merited some kind of recognition. I think I am going to come out and say it and I hope people don't freak out (too much)....
I almost got arrested yesterday.
Yes, as hard as it is to believe, there was a very real moment yesterday when I was pretty sure I was going to get a close look at the St. Louis police department, and not in a good way. But, let me tell you the complete story and maybe you'll get a better idea of why this merits a blog post.
As soon as I found out I was moving to the St. Louis area, I knew I would need to get connected with the local 40 Days for Life leaders so I could continue counseling women at Planned Parenthood. I was able to get in touch with the local executive director of the Coalition for Life St. Louis. Yesterday, after things had settled down a bit, I headed up to the Central West End Planned Parenthood to meet with the director and pray at the clinic.
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| Volunteer outside of the St. Louis Planned Parenthood. Photo courtesy of Coalition for Life St. Louis. | | | | |
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When I arrived, I met with Brian, the executive director, and he started to share with me how sidewalk counseling worked at this location and the things that CFL St. Louis was doing to help women in the area. I couldn't help but notice that there were a couple police cars present and a few officers conversing in the parking lot of Planned Parenthood. Brian said that PP had probably called them and that he had noticed an upswing in police presence the last couple of weeks.
Very soon after this, a large St. Louis Metropolitan Police van pulled into the parking lots. You know the kind I'm talking about, the ones they bring in when they are about to arrest a bunch of people.
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| It looked like this, minus the crime lab part |
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I must have looked nervous, because Brian looked over at me and said, "It looks like we might be taking a ride in a truck today." I was probably in denial and so I didn't immediately pick up on what he was saying. After asking him to clarify, he replied, "I think we're about to get arrested." I don't remember what my actual response was, but it was somewhere along the lines of, "are you KIDDING me?! Why?!? We're just standing here!" I then threw out, "I don't want to get arrested! That was definitely NOT on my lists of things to do today!" Brian's response was something like, "but wouldn't that make a great story!" Great story, indeed!
After a few tense moments as multiple police officers had a pow-wow in the parking lot, the van pulled away and left. I knew at this point that I was probably ok, but there were still several police officers there, so we still weren't sure what was going on. Eventually, about four or five police officers approached Brian and explained their presence at the clinic that day: we had a sign that violated two city ordinances. As they walked over, Brian asked me to snap a few pictures (hopefully I will be able to post a few of them here soon). As I tried to indiscreetly take a few pictures, Brian was "arrested," released on the streets, and asked to leave the premises. We also had to take the sign down. If you ask me, this response seemed a bit heavy-handed. Among the volunteers that day (about 10-15) half were my grandparents' age and the rest were quietly standing and praying. Did the police really think that many officers were needed to deal with a sign out of ordinance? And since when was a bad sign an arrestable offense? Apparently I have a lot to learn about Missouri law enforcement.
I have been praying in front of an abortion clinic for five years and sidewalk counseling for almost as long, and I have never had a negative experience with law enforcement. The Coaltion for Life in Bryan had a wonderful relationship with the Bryan P.D. and so I guess I was unprepared for encounters with a not-so-friendly environment. I was pretty spoiled in Aggieland. Brian's parting words to me before he left the sidewalk summarized the experience very well... "Welcome to the pro-life movement in St. Louis." Well, all I can say is that I am glad I am here and I can't wait to continue standing for Life with my new friends at the Coalition for Life St. Louis!
