Comparing Notes with a Planned Parenthood Protester

/ Todd_Lappin

This week, Bernal resident Peephole checked in on on the protests that sometimes take place in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic on Valencia Street in the La Lengua Autonomous Zone.

The Planned Parenthood on Valencia had protestors again yesterday. Mysteriously, they all disappeared except this one when I stopped by on my way home.

They had three lounge chairs, a table, multiple stacked plastic boxes, an ironing board, and a sandwich board. If any residents find the sidewalk to be obstructed, they can call the SFPD’s non-emergency line, and someone will come out and make sure the sidewalk is passable. (That’s what happened today after I took this video– they had to relocate and consolidate their furniture and signage.)

27 thoughts on “Comparing Notes with a Planned Parenthood Protester”

  1. It absolutely infuriates me that those protesters are allowed to put up the huge, horribly graphic, disturbing photos they erect every week. I just cannot understand why that is legal. That block is a heavily-traveled corridor for children both in cars and on bikes.

    • Simply, if they are within the 8′ buffer zone, call non-emergency. 553-0123. Inform the police that they are not respecting the law regarding the 8′ buffer zone.

    • Yes, the posters are indeed horrible and graphic. They are vile people for doing that.

  2. I’ve seen them around a lot in the last few months, camped right at PP’s entrance. What’s the story with buffer zones?

  3. she has a good point. wait. what’s her point? she’s never set foot inside a PP, but she believes in god and knows that PP does abortions (i love the way she backs up her nebulous statistic – “a lot”). she’s just sitting there content in her ignorance. most protesters actually have something to say about what they are protesting. and it helps if you know what you are talking about.

  4. Every time I have walked past that PP, and there have been protestors, I walk into the place and drop a couple 20’s in their donation jar (they have one at the check-in window), and let the protestors and the employees know why. I would suggest the same for those like-minded.

  5. I walk to work by there every day and it infuriates me. More so the guy with all the disgusting graphic images. He’s there on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I often see the police stopped talking to him, usually for parking in the new passenger loading zone. He also has a small video camera set up to film anyone who harasses him or defaces his signs.

  6. I just ran by the PP on Valencia and indeed there are 3 protesters there, praying and blocking the sidewalk, I called the non-emergency SFPD number to report and highly recommend others to do so. Also, if those of you with children find their presence offensive, report that as well.

    • If they’re blocking the sidewalk, that’s worth reporting. If you just find them offensive, consider whether you’d approve of the police removing people you agree with (anti-corporate, anti-war, Occupy, whatever). If you don’t believe in free speech for people you find offensive, you don’t really believe in free speech.

  7. To the neighborhood folks. Please call the police non emergency line and Supervisor Campos’ office to complain. Sup. Campos’ office number is 415-554-5144. If you call consistently, it will help a great deal.

  9. I support the right to protest but it is great to have someone out there keeping them in check. I was confirmed at St. Anthony’s recently where they highly encourage and organize for protestors at PP. You can walk in and see their signage for specific dates where they will rally and march over to the Valencia St. location if you need to anticipate. Digressing a bit…I also went to St. Patrick’s downtown and they included prayers for abortions which is something I have never heard going to Catholic mass my entire life. Don’t want to get too political though…but is this a city-wide trend?

  10. I agree. And she also votes. She is only a small fraction of a larger group of millions in the U.S. that think/believe and vote the same. It is very easy to overlook this by living in San Francisco.

  11. it seems I have been misunderstood regarding the right to protest. I agree all ideologies should have a civil forum to voice dissent. The graphic photos displayed by these protesters are offensive and caused a conservative assemblyman to lose a race in San Diego because he had posted such photos on door hangers citing his opponent as “pro-abortion”. His plan backfired as the opponent’s campaign headquarters received hundreds of calls from irate parents complaining that their children had seen these photos upon arriving home, prompting them to change their votes! So, yes I agree to civil discourse and first amendment rights, but also know parents and children walk that street daily.

  12. The stuff of their signage includes patently untrue statements. Stuff about funding, etc. I interviewed a couple guys Friday and they think that 30-85% of PP’s funding is for abortions. Also, they have signs about your federal tax dollars funding abortions. Plus totally false stats about death rates, etc.

    I guess I was misinformed about the sidewalk blocking– there were some nutty LaRouchies out on Cortland last year and the police came and told them they could stand there with their signs (Obama = Hitler type stuff) but could not obstruct the sidewalk with their ironing board, and made them take it down. Thus, I was surprised by the 3 lounge chairs, folding tables, multiple sandwichboards, etc. blocking the sidewalk at 1650 Valencia.

    Sometimes those chairs are blocking passenger doors, should one be pulled into the passenger zone.

    The Ingleside station has a supervisor assigned to this issue, as they get a lot of complaints, and his name is Lt. Miller.

  13. I stopped by there last week, went into the clinic and wrote a written statement for them to add to their file and called the police’s non-emergency line. The police explained that they can only enforce the sidewalk usage and parking in Burger King’s lot. He said that we need to build a case to get before a judge to make any other arguments and to that writing to the mayor and city attorney would be the most effective ways to make that happen.

  14. It never occurs to those bullies that some of the people who live, work, and go to school in the neighborhood might share their views on abortion (I don’t), but they are forced to look at the horrific images too. And they don’t care about neighborhood kids who have to see them, some kids who aren’t old enough to know how babies are made let alone what an abortion is. I wouldn’t like to live in that condo. Regardless of views on abortion – no one should be forced to look at that stuff.

  15. I have to walk by these guys every day. Every time I see them I imagine protesting at their church with anti-pedophilia signs (they do, in fact, cover up and support abusers). I wonder if that would maybe wake them up?

  16. I just called and reported them. Plus I saw their pamphets at the Burger King and they removed them as soon as I asked, saying “They didn’t know how they got there”. I made it a point to go into PP and offer my support. I was so enraged, I was shaking. They said they’d pray for me. I don’t need their prayers.

  18. Just spoke with Hillary at Supervisor Campos’s office. They are working on a stay away order for that man, who has apparently thrown rocks at women and a sidewalk ordinance for them. Her number is 554-7729. She said keep the calls coming, they build a stronger case. i’m being interviewed by a City Attorney this afternoon. Let you all know what I know. Please please call.

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