Right to Life of Northeast Ohio’s office vandalized in Akron
Right to Life of Northeast Ohio’s Akron office was vandalized last Friday, with rocks thrown through the window and graffiti painted on the building’s exterior.
“We’re really committed to continuing our peaceful advocacy,” said Allie Frazier, the organization’s executive director. “When stuff like this happens, it’s scary, but we’re not going to be intimidated out of saving lives.”
Rocks thrown at the office at 572 W. Market Street damaged two windows but did not damage anything inside of the office, Frazier said.
She said the windows have already been replaced and any graffiti that couldn’t be cleaned off was painted over. The organization still needs to replace its door sign, which Frazier said was damaged with spray paint beyond repair.
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Graffiti on the sidewalk in front of the office read, “If abortion isn’t safe, neither r u – Jane.”
The phrase has also been used in vandalizations of pregnancy crisis centers claimed by Jane’s Revenge, a collective militant group that favors abortion rights.
The Akron Police Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Security camera footage sent to the Beacon Journal shows a person dressed in all black approaching the building shortly after midnight. The individual spray paints the phrase on the sidewalk before the videos show them throwing two objects through the window.
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The security footage shows the individual repainting some of the words on the sidewalk before throwing three objects at the building. They continue spray painting the front of the building before the video shows them leaving the screen. The entire incident lasted less than 10 minutes.
Frazier said her organization installed the security cameras shortly after the Supreme Court draft leaked in May, when more anti-abortion groups began being targeted.
“We can only be prepared and completely undaunted and fearless,” Frazier said. “There was definitely a plan in place for when this occurred, and we are just thankful that all that was damaged was property because we can’t replace human lives.”
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This is the second incident at the office since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Frazier said. On the day the Supreme Court released its ruling, she said abortion rights protesters placed signs around the outside of the office, hung a coat hanger on the building’s doorknob and held up a middle finger to their security camera.
“Anytime you feel like members of the community are actively against you, that’s always a little hurtful," Frazier said. “The physical vandalism of having our windows broken, obviously, that is a more aggressive action, so a line has definitely been crossed.”
Whoever it was that vandalized the building Friday, though, Frazier said she forgives them.
"We don’t know their story,” she said. “We don’t know what prompted them to do this, but we forgive them.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Right to Life of Northeast Ohio’s office vandalized in Akron
