To counter-protest, or not to counter-protest? That is the question
We have a sub-group of activists on this blog that has formed around the idea of actual visits to the offices of the congressional delegation. [This group needs a name, but that is a topic for another thread. If you would like to join the group or propose a name, drop us note using the tip line.] Anyway – props to you guys who know who you are.
Through that group, I have heard that Planned Parenthood is discouraging counter protests on Feb 11th, the day a bunch have assholes have picked to protest affordable healthcare for women. Beyond the 11th the popular vote loser will get his Supreme Court nominee, the GOP is holding together, and there may be no planned parenthood to support in a year’s time.
So, do you counter-protest or “stand with” planned parenthood in some less confrontational way?
I think the date has changed. This just arrived in my inbox.
There’s been some confusion around this event.
Personally, I’ll do both. I understand Planned Parenthood is in a very tough spot. Both the national organization and the local benefactors don’t want trouble. That’s fair enough. But where do we draw the line? How long to we stick with the passive approach while we wait for a ninth associated justice to be confirmed for the SCOTUS and threaten Roe.
I’ll be there Saturday and I urge you all to join me. Standing up means standing up.
I don’t have Facebook so I don’t know what that says. If it says that Planned Parenthood has scheduled an event for Friday that is their way of diverting people from counter protesting the anti choice picket on Saturday.
I haven’t heard anything about an anti-women’s health care protest. Tactically, it might be best to ignore it and let it fizzle out, rather than confronting it in person. In my opinion, a better response would be to flood the offices and phones of elected officials.
That approach is predicated on this idea that if we allow it the anti choice movement will “fizzle out.” I see zero evidence of this.
Yes, Saturday’s anti-choice protest will end and those people will go home, but they will be back and back and back.
I have heard nothing of this until now, but I would very much like to know where the forced-birther movement is having their tea-bag party so i can go …. observe them.
So apparently anti-choice protests have been scheduled for Saturday 11 February at Planned Parenthoods across the country. There is one scheduled for Planned Parenthood of DE (7th and Shipley Sts) at 10am.
Since the resistance movement have been gaining momentum and public sentiment a counter demonstration was planned to meet the anti choice picket with overwhelming numbers.
Problem is that officially PP shuns all confrontation so they are trying to dissuade and divert away from this.
7th and Shipley is pretty desolate on a Saturday morning in February. Counter-protests would only draw media attention. In my opinion.
That’s the idea. When the few dozen anti-choice people turn up with their gratuitous placards and foaming mouths are met by a group of 100 supporters of women’s health and choice it illustrates which side is stronger and which side is rational. And it give everyone hope that we won’t be passively rolled over.
Doesn’t have to be confrontational. If the teabaggers keep their hands and spittle to themselves, everything should be fine.
Im going to make sure these violent extremists don’t harm anyone seeking medical care. Lord knows they feel empowered to use any means necessary.
@REV, I like your vision better.
I just had a vision of a dozen or so counter-protesters sadly clustered on the sidewalk holding signs. Or worse, screaming matches which would become the defining clip for the event.
Do me favor, if you don’t mind. Read or listen to this. Then let me know if we should just let this fizzle out or if we should show a little mettle here and stand up against this.
http://www.npr.org/2017/02/02/513041005/exploring-the-nationalistic-and-christian-right-influences-on-trump
This is a very dangerous game you’re advocating for, because once we realize some of the things we care about are gone, once the train leaves the station, it’s game over.
Thanks, puck. My plan is to bring my sign and a chair and sit silently and read. I’m not looking for trouble. I’m just standing up to be counted.
The signs reads
“I don’t pretend to have ALL the answers, so I support your right to choose.”
iirc, there was a push to let drumpf fizzle out…. or to even (i am guilty of this) support getting him the nomination. lesson learned. This shit needs to be squashed.
OK I did a little research, and the anti-choice protest seems pretty well organized for Feb. 11:
http://protestpp.com/locations/
https://www.facebook.com/wilmingtonforlife/
To mount a successful counter-protest, the first thing is to agree on the time and date to show up. I haven’t found anything other than a link to a Facebook event page for a Pink Out event on Feb. 10, the day before the anti-choice protest.
That Pink Out is the Planned Parenthood sponsored event to keep people away from the counter demonstration. The counter was planned by a few small women’s groups. The Pink Out was hastily planned because of political worries.
There was agreement to counter it on Saturday and PP is putting all their institution pressure to direct people to the Friday event.
If you do go to the sanctioned rally on Friday, use it to organize for Saturday. Get commitments from everyone you meet to come back on Saturday. PP is closed both days anyway.
I’m seriously thinking of going to Wilmington on Saturday, just have to check my family calendar first. I’ll be the dude in the pink hat – hopefully not the only one.
The anti-choices are also going to be at the Dover PP on Saturday… any counter-protest planned in Dover?
So it looks like the Facebook group for Saturday was taking down. (See Pandora’s post at Blue Delaware.)
I can tell you that it had been up for about two weeks and had 96 people confirm and around 315 express interest. (This is where I came up with my estimate of 100.)
Planned Parenthood has been applying pressure for the past few days to scuttle that effort. But see I’m old school. I don’t use social media. So the decommissioning of a Facebook group has no relevance to me.
I hope there is a big underground effort on social media to get people to PP on Saturday. It would suck to show up alone.
A word of caution… If anyone is showing up on Saturday to “mix it up” with anti-choicers, tread very carefully. Do. Not. Engage. You will be video taped. More can be said through attendance than scoring verbal points off of people who won’t listen to you anyway. Rule #1: Do no harm.
1.) Pandora is correct. This is about meeting the anti-choice picket with numbers, not have a Outsiders type gang fight.
2.) Puck, I personally guarantee you will not be alone. You have my word on it.
I’ve sat in opposition to these people alone on a few occasions. They are a very strange group. Expect to see dismembered dolls smudged with red marker on their placards and the whole bit. Just turning up in opposition makes the point that needs to be made.
Psychopaths. Not sure how we deal with all of this in the long term with Trumps supporters blindly supporting him no matter what he does
I can’t attend on Friday, but I am hoping to show up Saturday. I would like nothing more than for this to be non-confrontational. Anyway, when people object to things because of religion or other deeply held beliefs, no minds will be changed by any amount of screaming, yelling, pushing or shoving.
I do think that it is important that people show up to counter the protest. Even though PP won’t be open, it makes a statement. My understanding of PP’s general request not to counter-demonstrate is that it makes the experience of patients all the more confusing and upsetting, and I respect that, but with the Wilmington PP closed on Saturday (and Friday, too, and probably the de-funders will get wind of that and show up), the patient concern is moot.
I see no reason to even acknowledge their existence…. much less engage them. I am going to show my support for PP in a peaceful and uplifting way. If there happen to be some Nazi’s there, the most i will do is have my camera ready and pointed at them.
@Ben: The camera is an excellent idea. In a world of alternative facts, video is the best evidence. It can be doctored or edited, of course, as O’Keefe continually demonstrates, and it can be ignored, as in the case of Walter Scott. But it’s still the most dramatic way to show things.
I’d be interested in seeing video of these poor souls in action.
Since Al left WDEL, we now have alt right media coverage all day long. Susan Monday is a Trump supporter who espouses alt right media talking points on the air. We have no real radio station to listen to any longer…we don’t know whats going on in Dover since Al left. If you want to protest and make a real difference, how bout calling every day to WDEL and take her on, or contact the management at WDEL and demand we have a voice of reason on our public airways, not an alt right talking head ginning up the already poorly educated.
I wouldn’t want to go to work every day even if they wanted me back. And I doubt they would want to hear me bitch about Trump every day anyway. And they really wouldn’t want to hear me bitching about Carney, Schwartzkopf and the pitiful Delaware Democratic Party.
Nope, that’s what podcasts are for.
To quote Marshall Crenshaw: “Someday, some way”.
The counter protest should consist solely of a signup table to recruit foster parents.
http://kids.delaware.gov/fs/fostercare_faq.shtml
Would you want your kid growing up with those people?