On Monday of this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of an increase in security and the installation of non-scalable fence and other barriers around the U.S. Supreme court following the leak and subsequent publication of a draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision which guaranteed protection of access to abortions, and a 1992 decision (Planned Parenthood v. Casey) that upheld the right.
Needless to say, news of the leaked opinion sent shockwaves through both the pro- and anti-abortion collectives across the nation (one enraged, the other rejoicing). Since Tuesday, protests have been held in U.S. cities coast to coast, including Washington, DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake, Los Angeles and Seattle, as pro-abortion activist groups urged supporters to demonstrate at “courthouses and federal buildings everywhere.”
These protests have been steadily increasing in size and level of agitation as different activist groups spin up their efforts to leverage the development. As an example, Antifa is suddenly active again in Portland and Seattle.
Social Media Threats
There have also been an increasing number of posts on social media calling for violence, with some suggesting that churches be targeted with arson attacks. According to an Intelligence Note published this week by the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange, one social media post suggested that the only way to destroy the state as well as “nationalist and clerical fascist movements” is through a combative approach, and that the point was not to make them “listen through militant reformism, but to take away their capacity to ever act on us/them in the first place.”
Pro-life extremists have also been posting to various social media platforms inciting attacks targeting abortion clinics and practitioners.
Mother's Day Surprise
On Friday, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of calls by pro-abortion groups for demonstrations at Catholic churches across the U.S. on Sunday, May 8th, which is also Mother's Day. Organizers suggest including groups holding signs, wearing Handmaids Tale outfits, passing flyers to church goers, as well as doing a 'die-in.'
Readers are cautioned that while the groups are calling for demonstrations at Catholic churches, protests are possible at any place of worship, of any faith, with an anti-abortion stance. These protests are expected to continue well beyond this weekend in an effort to potentially sway members of the court to change their vote before the final opinion is released in June, or to influence Congress to pass legislation codifying abortion access into federal law.
So, from the pro-abortion perspective, there is added urgency to be noisy.
AlertsUSA encourages readers to keep up with local news and public event calendars so as to avoid the demonstrations.
Increased Caution and Vigilance Urged
For those serving on church security teams, you likely already know if your place of worship is a potential target for demonstrations. Aside from what is taught from the pulpit, is the church active in any form of public anti-abortion activities? If your answer is even remotely yes, now would be a good time to engage other team members and local law enforcement in a simple conversation about what-if's.
As an example, what if your church building is damaged or defaced with graffiti, as happened this week to Sacred Heart of Mary Parish in Boulder, Colorado?
Or what if a crowd of demonstrators is blocking member entry into the church, or preventing church members from exiting?
Have the conversation. Get on the same page.
As a final note on this report, late Friday, while speaking at a judicial conference in Atlanta, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stated the following:
As a society, "we are becoming addicted to wanting particular outcomes, not living with the outcomes we don't like."
"We can't be an institution that can be bullied into giving you just the outcomes you want. The events from earlier this week are a symptom of that."
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant. |
