Extreme Behavior

[Roxie]

Way to frighten families. (http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5279802&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1)

[Beowulf]

Protect life...OR WE'LL KILL YOU!

Seriously though how is this not illegal?

[Roxie]

Cause the sidewalk and the street in front of your house is considered public property. And as long as they don't shout obscene things, throw things at you or attempt to touch you, they're legal....at least that's how I understand it.

[Shuft]

It is illegal. It is harassment. He has an easy case. He could get restraining orders, or if it is one organization he could even get some punitive damages.

[Roxie]

Then you have to decide when does protest become harassment.

[Beowulf]

Can you protest individuals? I was under the impression that you could only protest organizations or other public figures. Besides how is "He builds death camps!" not some form of harassment/slander?

[/|/@/|/@し]

That's disappointing.
I don't know if he can get a restraining order. I don't really know about laws for this type of thing, but someone who was interviewed did say the police were protecting the protesters.
Ugh. Planned parenthood isn't even only about abortions (Although the protesters are just focusing on THAT even though they don't know what the facility will include) But the services can help a lot of people. And the way they are acting is hypocritical.

[Jetsetlemming]

Cause the sidewalk and the street in front of your house is considered public property. And as long as they don't shout obscene things, throw things at you or attempt to touch you, they're legal....at least that's how I understand it.
Pretty sure holding up posters of dead fetuses is in the category of "obscene".

[Roxie]

a quote
This seems to be the relevant Colorado statute (edited to only show the appropriate clauses for this situation):

http://www.wiredsafety.org/cyberstalking_harassment/us_states/colorado.html

18-9-111 - Harassment - stalking.

(1) A person commits harassment if, with intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person, he or she:

(c) Follows a person in or about a public place; or

(g) Makes repeated communications at inconvenient hours that invade the privacy of another and interfere in the use and enjoyment of another's home or private residence or other private property; or

(4) (a) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that stalking is a serious problem in this state and nationwide. Although stalking often involves persons who have had an intimate relationship with one another, it can also involve persons who have little or no past relationship. A stalker will often maintain strong, unshakable, and irrational emotional feelings for his or her victim, and may likewise believe that the victim either returns these feelings of affection or will do so if the stalker is persistent enough. Further, the stalker often maintains this belief, despite a trivial or nonexistent basis for it and despite rejection, lack of reciprocation, efforts to restrict or avoid the stalker, and other facts that conflict with this belief. A stalker may also develop jealousy and animosity for persons who are in relationships with the victim, including family members, employers and co-workers, and friends, perceiving them as obstacles or as threats to the stalker's own "relationship" with the victim. Because stalking involves highly inappropriate intensity, persistence, and possessiveness, it entails great unpredictability and creates great stress and fear for the victim. Stalking involves severe intrusions on the victim's personal privacy and autonomy, with an immediate and long-lasting impact on quality of life as well as risks to security and safety of the victim and persons close to the victim, even in the absence of express threats of physical harm. The general assembly hereby recognizes the seriousness posed by stalking and adopts the provisions of this subsection (4) and subsections (5) and (6) of this section with the goal of encouraging and authorizing effective intervention before stalking can escalate into behavior that has even more serious consequences.

(b) A person commits stalking if directly, or indirectly through another person, such person knowingly:

(I) Makes a credible threat to another person and, in connection with such threat, repeatedly follows, approaches, contacts, or places under surveillance that person, a member of that person's immediate family, or someone with whom that person has or has had a continuing relationship; or

(II) Makes a credible threat to another person and, in connection with such threat, repeatedly makes any form of communication with that person, a member of that person's immediate family, or someone with whom that person has or has had a continuing relationship, regardless of whether a conversation ensues; or

(III) Repeatedly follows, approaches, contacts, places under surveillance, or makes any form of communication with another person, a member of that person's immediate family, or someone with whom that person has or has had a continuing relationship in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to suffer serious emotional distress and does cause that person, a member of that person's immediate family, or someone with whom that person has or has had a continuing relationship to suffer serious emotional distress. For purposes of this subparagraph (III), a victim need not show that he or she received professional treatment or counseling to show that he or she suffered serious emotional distress.

(c) For the purposes of this subsection (4):

(I) Conduct "in connection with" a credible threat means acts which further, advance, promote, or have a continuity of purpose, and may occur before, during, or after the credible threat;

(II) "Credible threat" means a threat, physical action, or repeated conduct that would cause a reasonable person to be in fear for the person's safety or the safety of his or her immediate family or of someone with whom the person has or has had a continuing relationship. Such threat need not be directly expressed if the totality of the conduct would cause a reasonable person such fear.

(III) "Immediate family" includes the person's spouse and the person's parent, grandparent, sibling, or child; and

(IV) "Repeated" or "repeatedly" means on more than one occasion.

(5) Where a person commits stalking under paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of this section, the following shall apply:

(a) A person commits a class 5 felony for a first offense.

(a.5) For a second or subsequent offense, if such offense occurs within seven years of the date of a prior offense for which such person was convicted, the offender commits a class 4 felony.

(b) If, at the time of the offense, there was a temporary or permanent restraining order, injunction, or condition of bond, probation, or parole or any other court order in effect against such person prohibiting the behavior described in paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of this section, such person commits a class 4 felony. In addition, when a violation under subsection (4) of this section is committed in connection with a violation of a court order, including but not limited to any restraining order or any order that sets forth the conditions of a bond, any sentence imposed for such violation pursuant to this subsection (5) shall run consecutively and not concurrently with any sentence imposed pursuant to section contempt proceeding for violation of the court order. Nothing in this paragraph (b) shall be construed to alter or diminish the inherent authority of the court to enforce its orders through civil or criminal contempt proceedings; however, before a criminal contempt proceeding is heard before the court, notice of the proceedings shall be provided to the district attorney for the district of the court where the proceedings are to be heard and the district attorney for the district of the court where the alleged act of criminal contempt occurred. The district attorney for either district shall be allowed to appear and argue for the imposition of contempt sanctions.

(6) A peace officer shall have a duty to respond as soon as reasonably possible to a report of stalking and to cooperate with the alleged victim in investigating such report.

SO...the proper response to this on the part of the person being harassed is to document that they are there repeatedly, preventing the enjoyment of their private residence, and since they state quite baldly that they believe these people to be "complicit" in Planned Parenthood's so-called "crimes" and will do anything to stop them...hey, credible threat. Sounds like they have a strong case for at least the misdemeanor charge - and if they keep it up, they'll build a case for the felony charge. Send them straight to jail for their tactics!

[PopCulturePooka]

They should be aborted themselves.

I have NO TIME for anti abortionists like this. They should all be destroyed.

[Beowulf]

They should be aborted themselves.

I have NO TIME for anti abortionists like this. They should all be destroyed.
:clap:

[japanat]

These dirtbags really get my panties in a knot. I'm from Colorado, and I would file a harassment suit, defamation/libel proceedings, and any other I could think of. I would also enlist the neighborhood association (so many of the Denver metro area's neighborhoods are covenanted).

They have the right to believe abortion is wrong, and to work to change the law if that is their desire; but as long as it is the law, they have no right to personally attack any of the practitioners, let alone people like this man, who has nothing to do with the eventual use of the building.

Personally, I wonder if they've ever read the stats of Planned Parenthood, or know what it's about, anyways. Sure, they offer abortion as an option, but they also discuss all the other options; and attempt to educate teens, especially, so that abortion doesn't become a necessity.
















DPad, have you been there, yet?

[Mastiker]

Sure, they offer abortion as an option, but they also discuss all the other options; and attempt to educate teens, especially, so that abortion doesn't become a necessity.

Yeah, but that's like saying that killing people is just a part of war. I mean, you get training in all sorts of expertise, you lose a lot of weight, learn a lot of discipline and get to see all parts of the world.

Edit: I'm not sure if my point was clear, but, I'm basically saying that simply because they do a lot of good, that doesn't mean that it automatically clears out all of the "bad". I'm not saying abortion is bad - but those guys do. And if you want to make a valid point to them, don't try and say "well, Abortion isn't really that big a deal. They offer so much more!" They're just going to come back at you with "Yes, it's good that they do all those other things they do, but they do still hold abortions. We'll stop protesting, when they stop aborting."

[Silverhawk]

Yeah, but that's like saying that killing people is just a part of war. I mean, you get training in all sorts of expertise, you lose a lot of weight, learn a lot of discipline and get to see all parts of the world.

Edit: I'm not sure if my point was clear, but, I'm basically saying that simply because they do a lot of good, that doesn't mean that it automatically clears out all of the "bad". I'm not saying abortion is bad - but those guys do. And if you want to make a valid point to them, don't try and say "well, Abortion isn't really that big a deal. They offer so much more!" They're just going to come back at you with "Yes, it's good that they do all those other things they do, but they do still hold abortions. We'll stop protesting, when they stop aborting."
That's like giving in to a kid just because they're throwing a tantrum. Not exactly the best way to do things right?

What japanat is getting at is "prevention is better than cure".

[Mastiker]

That's like giving in to a kid just because they're throwing a tantrum. Not exactly the best way to do things right?

What japanat is getting at is "prevention is better than cure".

I know. I get it completely, but it's not my mind you have to change, and that's the point I'm trying to make. "Prevention is better than cure" is a novel idea, you just have to present it that way. I'm not even sure compromise would work...

[japanat]

Mastiker,

I do get what you mean, but how is their picketing a construction security man, disturbing his whole neighborhood and basically ruining his relationships with all his neighbors, anything other than harassment? They're doing the same reach for liability that any terrorist uses when, for example, attacking a school in order to change policy in Chechnya.

Yes, they are the ones who need to be convinced, not you. But I really believe that even these "righteous" folks need to obey the damn laws, don't you?

Besides, I just hate little pinpricks who feel they have the right to do whatever they want to me/others in the name of their "morality". Fucking pinheads.

Or we could just picket their houses instead...

[Mastiker]

Mastiker,

I do get what you mean, but how is their picketing a construction security man, disturbing his whole neighborhood and basically ruining his relationships with all his neighbors, anything other than harassment? They're doing the same reach for liability that any terrorist uses when for example attacking a school in order to change policy in Chechnya.

Yes, they are the ones who need to be convinced, not you. But I really believe that even these "righteous" folks need to obey the damn laws, don't you?

Besides, I just hate little pinpricks who feel they have the right to whatever they want to me/others in the name of their "morality". Fucking pinheads.

Or we could just picket their houses instead...

I'm not saying what they're doing is right, nor am I saying that their opinions are even good.

You simply just stated that you wondered if they attempted to read the PP pamphlet and then said the other things they offer. Yes, that's good and all, but to the minds of these people, that's not enough. They don't want compromise, they want their way. You have to either obey their demands, ignore them completely, or do something about it.

If you wish to picket on their land, then by all means, hop to it, as long as you think that will change their minds. I'm here to tell you it probably won't.

[Micah the Great]

Don't worry Mastiker, i understood what you were trying to say from the beginning.

Yeah, this whole thing is stupid. And i like how some of the contractors got scared and backed out. Ha, i don't care what kind of trouble i got in, if someone was doing that shit outside my house, i'd dragon punch them in the mouth.

Also, if women are allowed to abort their living fetuses, i should be allowed to abort random people that i don't like, like that guy Steven at work. I want him aborted.