"What we've found is that one of the tactics that people in the abortion industry use is constantly calling the police to show up at the clinic and claiming that pro-lifers are doing things that are wrong," White explains. "Most of the time it's not true."

The complaints, he says, might include such things as blocking the driveway into the clinic or trying to prevent people from walking into the clinic. But the end result, says White, is that the summoning of police to the protest sites discourages some pro-lifers from returning again for fear of being arrested.

Threats or freedom of speech?

911 tapes, testimony detail events outside clinic

By Ames Boykin
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Saturday, April 14, 2007

A woman protesting outside a health clinic in Des Plaines calls 911, saying she is “in fear for my health and life” because of an off-duty police officer wearing a black T-shirt, blue sweatpants and gym shoes.
Dispatcher Cate Loughrige questions her: "You're in fear of your life?"
The protester says: "Ma'am, if you do not do this, I will sue Des Plaines. Please send someone out here. He is hollering at us.”
The 911 calls from protesters were played Friday during the opening of the city’s case in its attempt to fire police officer Dick V. Lalowski because he is accused of verbally and physically abusing women on May 20, 2006, outside a clinic in Des Plaines.
Lalowski, 43, who has been suspended without pay since the city lodged the charges last fall, denies he did anything wrong.
Richard J. Reimer, Lalowski's attorney, said the officer was in plain clothes exercising his First Amendment free speech rights.
Lalowski is accused of spending more than an hour threatening to arrest the female protesters, calling them "fat (expletive) cows," poking his index finger into the torso of one of them and hugging another.
At one point, city officials contend, Lalowski compared the women's tactics outside the clinic at 110 S. River Road to the Taliban. He also is accused of threatening to arrest the women if they blocked the clinic's entrance or gave people going inside baskets with teddy bears with the message, "I love you, mommy," the city says.
Lalowski should lose his job for disorderly conduct both while in uniform, when he stopped at the protest, and later when he returned in plain clothes after his shift ended, said Patrick Lucansky, an attorney for the city.
Lalowski testified Friday that he never used profanity but that he did call a protester a "fat cow" and showed her low-impact exercises she could do.
"I believe I acted courteous and professional the whole time." Lalowski said.

I was unaware that calling a woman a fat cow was courteous and professional...I'll have to remember that...

He admitted to being upset by a 6-foot-tall photo of an aborted fetus the protesters held that Lalowski said looked like "Jell-O".
Lalowski also admitted to accusing a protester of gluttony because she was overweight. He said he did so to show her that the "truth sometimes hurts" just as the aborted fetus photo could hurt a woman who had just had a miscarriage.
Lalowski said he did tell the women they would be arrested if they stopped people from entering the clinic.
A second police officer, Matthew Jones, also was at the demonstration last May 20 to keep the peace during the time Lalowski is accused of abusing the women.
During the 911 calls, Jones is heard downplaying the charges the women made. The protesters in their emergency calls accuse Jones of working for the clinic, rather than working to protect them.
"They're down here peacefully demonstrating and yes, a gentleman (Lalowski) came up and was talking to them. He was expressing his views and they were expressing theirs. Nobody got in anybody's face. Nobody was threatened, nobody was assaulted," Jones tells the dispatcher.

Jones also told the dispatcher that the women were "not used to getting somebody else talking back to them."

Oh yeah, cuz that NEVER happens to protesters...everyone just comes up to us and says "great job, guys. keep up the good work" I know I've NEVER had any negative feedback for the pro-choice side...not!

Testimony will continue Monday, when the anti-abortion protesters are expected to testify before the city's board of fire and police commissioners. The hearings involving Lalowski are expected to continue into May.