Dear Denny & Claire,
Last Saturday morning I was awaken by the knocking at my door by a deputy sheriff. He was delivering papers informing that I was being brought into court by the security manager of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota(PPMNS) under Minnesota's harassment/domestic abuse laws. With completely absurd and false accusations, this PPMNS employee whom I have rarely spoken with during the past five or six years, is asking a judicial referee to grant what the Ramsey District Court refused to grant in a previous lawsuit; an order forcing me to stay away from the PPMNS abortuary in St. Paul. Clearly, this is being done to keep me away from that abortuary on Good Friday and during my regular sidewalk counseling efforts.
Beginning in 2002, the security manager for PPMNS has employee increasingly bizarre tactics to keep us away on Good Friday. She started off with hiring a landscaping company to fill the public boulevard area in front of their building with top soil and seed. This area, which we have used for our cross stand, musicians and speakers area, was roped off to bar our using it. Having failed to deter us two years in a row with this method, she then obtained a demonstration permit to conduct a picket of her own building. Last year, the St. Paul City Attorney agreed with our attorney that an equal permit must be granted for us to use a portion of the public area in front of that building. Now this security manager is claiming I have harassed her without even offering one incident in which I have communicated with her.
The law which the security manager of PPMNS is abusively using against me is intended for relief for those who are being truly harassed, most often relating to actual or seriously potential domestic abuse. Unfortunately, court referees in these cases almost automatically grant some sort of a restraining order pending the outcome of a future court hearing. Should this normal course of action be taken by the referee, the security manager of PPMNS would get exactly what she is seeking, keeping me away on Good Friday. Our prayers on Good Friday must bother PPMNS officials to no end. Apparently, authentic Christian prayer and witness is harassment in their eyes.
Please keep me in your prayers for the hearing on Monday, April 3 at 8:30 a.m. Pray that the referee see through this abuse of her court and dismiss this action immediately. If she does not dismiss, pray that no restraining order be granted that would keep me away on Good Friday or during my weekly sidewalk counseling shift. Also, join us on Good Friday, April 14 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Not only is this the 25th anniversary of the ministry, your prayerful presence has an impact at this abortuary; God is honored, lives are saved, and the officials at PPMNS don't like us there.
In Christ,
Brian Gibson
Executive Director
Pro-Life Action Ministry
