WENATCHEE — For residents near the Planned Parenthood clinic, the daily presence of protesters has become an unwelcome routine, with honking cars and steady activity from sunrise to sunset.
“I just wish they realized how big of an inconvenience they are for the people who live in the area,” said Jessica Walker, who lives in the neighborhood.
The clinic, a nonprofit health center, provides various sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and treatment, emergency contraception, gender-affirming care, HIV services, and medication abortion up to 11 weeks.
Washington state law states that an individual has the right to choose to have an abortion before the fetus can survive on its own, or if it’s needed to protect the person’s life or health.
Planned Parenthood moved to its current residential location at 609 Okanogan Ave. earlier this year. It was previously located near the intersection of Ferry Street and Malaga Avenue.
Walker said she started noticing the protesters in February when she would hear cars honk as they drove by.
“They’re out there for 12-14 hours a day, and every time they hit an hour mark they cheer,” Walker said. “A lot of them are elderly people and they put signs on their cars and protest.”
Chief Edgar Reinfeld with the Wenatchee Police Department said he’s noticed “a large increase in calls recently” to the Planned Parenthood location.
The demonstrators are part of Wenatchee Right to Life a faith-based nonprofit organization with the mission statement to promote and educate about the value of all human life through outreach, education and peaceful activities, according to the nonprofit’s website.
The nonprofit is part of 40 Days for Life, an international organization whose mission is to “…end abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion businesses,” according to Janet Searles, the president and board chairman for Wenatchee Right to Life.
The 40 days began Sept. 25 and ended Nov. 3.
Demonstrators stand on the sidewalk outside Wenatchee’s Planned Parenthood clinic Sunday night at 609 Okanogan Ave.
Searles said the nonprofit has been in the Wenatchee Valley for about 11 years and have around 125 people regularly taking part in prayer to end abortion in Wenatchee and beyond.
The nonprofit partakes in “vigils” in front of Planned Parenthood from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“I would like to clarify that this is not a protest. It is a peaceful vigil,” Searles said. “The Bible states that we are to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. Unborn babies have no voice in women’s decision about abortion. We are their voice.”
Walker said she finds the demonstrators to be an inconvenience being in a residential area. The honking of cars at all times during the day is a disturbance for her and other residents living in the area.
One major disturbance for Walker: she said she’s missed trash pickup because demonstrators have moved her garbage and recycling bins.
“They move my trash bin and recycling bin. The bins were touching each other and they have to be 6 feet apart otherwise Waste Management won’t pick them up,” Walker said. “I’m paying for services that I’m not even receiving.”
Searles said she has no previous knowledge of trash cans being moved.
“We normally only have 2 people on the sidewalk at a time, with occasional groups of 3 or more,” Searles said. “Our participants sign a Statement of Peace, affirming among other things that we will not trespass, harass, intimidate or break the law. As far as I know, none of that has happened.”
The disturbances have caused Joshua James, another resident from the neighborhood, to voice his concerns at Wenatchee City Council meetings.
“Residents of Wenatchee should feel safe, secure and be able to engage in quiet and enjoy the privacy of their permanent places of dwelling, but we and many of our neighbors on Okanogan Avenue no longer due as a result of these new conditions,” said James of Planned Parenthood at the Oct. 24 council meeting. “For us this is not a partisan issue, this is about our safety and quality of life.”
Searles noted they don’t encourage cars to honk as they drive by.
“We are quiet, we do not encourage horn-honking or other rowdy behavior, but we have no control over what other people do,” Searles said. “Yes, there are people who honk in support of or against us.”
Reinfeld said they received a call for noise complaint to the address of Planned Parenthood Sunday night.
“One call for service (was made) yesterday at that location. There were 40 protesters on the street, they were not (the one’s) making noise, people driving by were making the noise,” Reinfeld said.
Residents like Walker and James have voiced their concerns but haven’t seen anything done, specifically from city council. Their goal is for Planned Parenthood to move to nonresidential area where demonstrators can exercise their First Amendment right without disturbing neighborhoods.
Searles said demonstrators will leave the neighborhood when Planned Parenthood does.
“By allowing an organization whose business is taking innocent lives to move into a residential neighborhood, any complaints should be directed to that business or the government entities that approved the conditional use permit,” Searles said. “If they go away, so do we.”
But for Walker, her neighborhood is caught in the middle.
“Protesters agree that Planned Parenthood shouldn’t be there, the city council isn’t doing anything,” Walker said. “It’s being swept under the rug.”
Wenatchee Mayor Mike Poirier said the city’s attorney was looking into the matter, and that a public response would come soon.
