mk2.jpgA week or so ago I posted as quote of the day this comment by Des Plaines, IL, Police Chief James Prandini, taken from the Chicago Tribune, on the firing of Officer Dick Lalowski for harrassing pro-life sidewalk counselors at an abortion mill:

“This was an important case for us. It sets the tone for our conduct. We can’t have officers treat people like this.”

I didn’t put 2 and 2 together until later that our own moderator Mary Kay (MK) was one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that drew the termination! She told me about the lawsuit awhile back, but pro-lifers around the country are so busy suing police and cities for First Amendment violations, I at first considered this “just” another victory – because we do inevitably win.
So, congrats, MK!
Here is the story in brief, from the Daily Herald….

Officer Dick V. Lalowski was stripped of his job after 11 years on the force for prodding a protester in the shoulder with his index fingers and calling her a “fat (expletive) cow” during a protest outside a Des Plaines women’s health clinic….
Lalowski had claimed he was exercising his freedom of speech. He had stopped during his shift at the clinic to tell the protesters not to block the entrance, threatening arrest.
After his shift ended, Lalowski returned in plainclothes to confront the female protesters.
Lalowski had said he felt a 6-foot-tall photo of an aborted fetus that the protesters held was too graphic and could offend a woman who had just had a miscarriage. He also admitted that he accused a protester of gluttony because she was overweight.
During the hearings, 911 tapes showed that a police officer and dispatcher had downplayed the incident as Lalowski challenging the women about their abortion views. The officer and dispatcher have since been disciplined, Prandini said.

It was MK who made the 911 calls. You can read MK’s account of the day below. You can also read the account from a legal perspective at Thomas More Society’s website, the pro-life law firm that filed the lawsuit.
MK’s account of the day….

When I arrived that morning the first thing Paula told me was that a police officer had been there and threatened to arrest us all if we stepped off the curb, or tried to give any of our “gift basket” to clients entering the abortion clinic.
An hour later he was back, this time out of uniform, and this time yelling at her sister who was at the other end of the abortion clinic. Paula asked me to go down and make sure it was the same guy, and see what he wanted. I had never seen him, so for the first 15 minutes, I wasn’t even sure he was a cop.
When I got there, he was screaming at Paula’s sister, a quiet, gentle, mousy woman, telling her she was fat and threatening to arrest her. When he saw me, he switched prey. He came so close to me our noses were touching. He was screaming that I hated men, was a terrorist and that he was going to arrest me also. I repeatedly asked him to back away. He wanted to know why. I told him he was frightening me and making me very uncomfortable. He didn’t budge.
I turned and went to the unmarked, moonlighting police officer parked halfway between Paula and her sister. He never got out of the car. Wasn’t even facing the scene. He glanced in his rearview and side mirrors but that was the extent of his “investigation”. Except for while he was talking to me, his windows were rolled up so he couldn’t even hear what was taking place.
I informed him that a call was putting thru to 911 and it was in his best interest as a representative of the Des Plaines Police Dept. to nip this now, before 911 got involved. At this point Lalowski walked up to the other side of the car and I went and spoke with Paula’s sister. She was very shaken up.
Turns out no less than three calls were put through to 911. No one responded.
By now Lalowski had switched victims yet again and was harassing Paula again. The moonlighting officer never got out of his car.
An hour later squad cars pulled up from everywhere. Turns out Lalowski has a history of this behavior. The moonlighting officer apologized profusely to us, and admitted he was nervous. He’d heard all the rumors about the “violence” pro- lifers are infamous for and was hesitant to get involved.
Paula was stuck with him for an hour before the police arrived. She handled it beautifully. She played along with him, hoping to appease him. Every time I came near him he got riled up again so I kept my distance. But I watched closely.
I have been in the pro life movement for more than 25 years. Had a lot of things happen in that time. Nasty notes left on my car, food thrown at me, the F-word screamed at me so many times I couldn’t count them, people in my face screaming… even had a gun pointed at us by a guy in a car driving by… but honestly, I have never been as frightened as I was that day. It was like dealing with an abusive drunk, knowing that the wrong word could get you beaten or killed. It was like walking a tightrope. This guy was a second away from a total explosion, and you just knew someone was going to get hurt. God bless Paula. She managed to soothe the savage beast until help arrived.
Regardless of how you feel about the prolife/prochoice issue, the police have an obligation to protect the public. And they were woefully remiss in their duties that day. In their defense, they have always treated us with the utmost respect. Their job is not an easy one, and I thank them for their commitment. Just as I hate carrying around the fallout of the bad actions of a few prolifers, I would not want to paint the entire police department in a bad light. A few bad Catholics do not negate the Church as a whole, a few bad pro-choicers do not represent all pro-choicers and one bad police officer should not discredit an entire department. I’m grateful that they didn’t sweep this under the rug, instead dealing with it head on and eliminating one undesirable employee, thus boosting the credibility of the whole department.

I wish Officer Lalowski the best and hope he finds peace. I’m just grateful that he no longer carries a gun…

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...