A lawsuit was filed in the US Middle District Court on Thursday, April 2, claiming that the civil rights of four people arrested near the abortion clinic on Randleman Road were violated.
The federal lawsuit was filed against Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan and Greensboro Police Lt. Dan Knott in their official capacities.
The federal lawsuit was filed by Paul Nisely, Josiah Chavez, David Troyer and Jolene Troyer, who were among those the Greensboro Police Department has arrested near A Woman’s Choice of Greensboro at 2425 Randleman Road.
The lawsuit states, “Their activities consist primarily in walking and praying on public ways outside the abortion clinic in order to share alternatives and inform the women going to the clinic of the dangers inherent in abortion.”
The lawsuit claims that their rights guaranteed by the First and 14th amendments to the Constitution had been violated and requests a “temporary restraining order, a preliminary injunction and a permanent injunction prohibiting the Defendants from enforcing the Stay Home Order and/or EO 121 [Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order] against them for their peaceful expressive activities.”
According to the lawsuit, those arrested were engaged in an essential outdoor activity permitted by both the Guilford County and the state stay-at-home orders.
Greensboro City Attorney Chuck Watts said that it was not the activity of walking around and praying that led to the arrests of the individuals but the violation of the essence of both the Guilford County and the state orders.
He said, “That’s what the stay-at-home order is all about – stay at home.”
Watts noted that all of those arrested were from other counties and that there was no reason that they could not walk around and pray in their home counties rather than traveling to Greensboro and possibly putting the health and safety of the people of Greensboro at risk.
Watts said that if those arrested had been from that neighborhood he didn’t think the city would have a case but because they traveled to Greensboro to participate in an activity that they could have participated in at home it was a violation of the order.
The lawsuit claims that the people arrested traveled to Greensboro because they wanted to participate in a permitted activity – walking around and praying in front of this abortion clinic.
It will be up to the federal court to decide whether the constitutional rights of these four were violated or not.
The Raleigh News & Observer, in an article on Tuesday, April 1, noted that no one in the Research Triangle area had been arrested for violating the stay-at-home order. According to Watts, Greensboro has made at least 11 arrests, all near the abortion clinic on Randleman Road.
These four people were in a group of less than ten. Their 1st (5th) and 14th amendment rights under the Constitution need to be protected. Hopefully it’s not an Obama or Clinton judge hearing their case, because then they’d have no chance.
These four were bringing their diseases into our community in violation of our community’s right to protect itself.
It seems that police did not know the men were out of town at first,they were just arresting .So in fact they didn’t want people outside the clinic .Then the bombshell,they are from out of town .We got them now.How ridiculous is this that .I am sure the police were unsure about arrest until they found out they were from somewhere else.What will ourbe next ,check panhandlers for city they are from .This is one the police should have left alone.I have known churches to have groups to this clinic ,but no arrests were made .Why don’t you Dems wake up and try getting along with the normal people.
K. So why do you think its ok to travel to another county, protest, and b***h about being arrested when theres a stay home order for entire state? Forget 10 people or less. I don’t know that anyone of those individuals have/dont have the virus. Would you be willing to let these individuals come into contact with your family? I didn’t think so. If so you’re flat out crazy as they are. Why don’t you just invite total strangers to your home.
A friend of mine suggested that if they have the right to sue because we expect them to obey lawful travel restrictions to protect public safety, is it not fair that we should then have the right to sue them in return if their unlawful travel brings additional Corona virus with them when they return to our counties? And should they not also be liable for any spread among police officers, etc.? And what does that do for the rest of us who depend on police and first responders?
While the other people going to this clinic were killing babies in your community. Makes perfect sense huh.
How do you know that they have diseases? What are those diseases?
To Kurt, Wormin, Both Lisas, Robert and more- Agreed, and then after the risk of bringing disease to Greensboro, then they risk taking taking disease from other communities back home. I am sure your families will appreciate this. This is about a temporary law to protect public health from the spread of a dangerous disease. The travel ban is not about abortion rights or about free speech.
And for my message to the protestors:
Thank you for sharing (NOT)! One protestor proudly announced they had already been to Charlotte that day. Charlotte has 601 cases of the virus and 3 deaths. Greensboro had 92 cases and 4 deaths. Before March 23, Randolph County had 0, that means zero cases. Thanks to two travelers, we now have 26 and 1 death. But my goodness, let us all extend out gratitude to these travelers, breaking public health and safety laws to proudly express their opinions at the risk of our lives, as well as theirs. May I add that I am strongly pro-life, but that means more than the lives of the unborn, but also the elderly and those with health issues (categories that include me and many of my friends). And again, to the protestors, your opinions are neither new nor unique. Before you endanger the public with your unwelcome appearances and legal violations, may I suggest that you find other ways to support the pro-life cause and there are many. Write letters to legislators and/or contribute money and supplies to support women who are without means to have and raise their babies alone such as to pregnancy care centers. Focus on what will do the most good rather that be the most newsworthy.
Reasonable people: let’s stay at home to protect the spread of a deadly virus
Out of touch religious zealots that don’t respect other people’s rights: let’s gather and pray at a medical clinic
Hospital workers: No visitors are allowed at all right so people don’t catch a deadly virus
Religious zealots: let’s all go to a medical clinic and pray
It’s an abortion center, not a medical clinic.
It’s not a medical clinic. It’s a death mill.
Dude I don’t want to hear it it’s four men who have anissue with abortion which I’m getting #@x* tired of saying out in public where they shouldn’t be and yes their constitutional rights were not #@x* them violated it was an order to stay in unless you have something to do there were told her they were to be if they were out and about and they don’t need to be there this is #@x* take your @#!% home and stay where you belong and what is with you men and your #@x* fatuation with abortion you don’t even have children probably
Oh my goodness an unconstitutional order is void from its inception. All these stay at home orders are unconstitutional.
Your inalienable rights cannot be trampled even when states issue emergency orders. Read the statues. Read the constitution. Any statutes written that do not line up with the constitution are also of no affect.
Anyone who makes the challenge will have any of these unlawful arrests and or tickets thrown out or overturned.
Unless you are all signing up to be communists now.
Stay at home order means stay home unless you got to get food or go to work not rally #@!%
There is a time and a place for everything and in the middle of a pandemic is not it. If they had chosen to assert there constitutional rights at a more appropriate time i am sure they would not have been arrested. I myself am against abortions but it is not my place to say what anyone does with there own body. That is between them and their god.
Praying ? Really…..?
Come on. Even Jesus was smart enough to go to the Desert to pray.
Sounds like ones religious right can override another person rights in the name of…..
Amen to that!
What? Know the Bible sir. Your statement is lacking. He prayed publicly many times.
I agree with the state’s attorney. They made a decision to travel to Greensboro. They could have exercised their rights in there own counties. However, women have a choice and that choice is up to them and God. They had no business being here. I feel that the arrest of the 4 was justifiable
1) Randolph County probably doesn’t have any abortion clinics, so they’d be unable to protest against one there.
2) The protestors weren’t trying to deny the women’s right to choose. The protesters have a 1st amendment right to assemble, and they were an extremely small assembly, not even close to 10. Rights aren’t supposed to be denied without due process of law. If we arrest those we disagree with, soon no one’s rights are safe.
Abortion is Man’s Law—-not God’s Law!
An your feelings outweigh the feelings of others.hardly,abortion stops a beating heart.how many have you had?if there is a God there is a special place un hell for you an those who think like you
Sigh. The whole country is ground down by a surplus of ambulance-chasers.
GPD are a bunch of bullies, they are the real mob! They will keep losing law suits, until the citzens take notice. I’ve seen them break the very law they are to uphold over and over. It seems to be ok in this state and especially in Greensboro. Stop letting policies decide how they behave and start holding them to the law as they should be. They constantly break their own policy with no punishment. NC need to get rid of their immunity to start with.
If the rest of us have to stay at home so should these people…why should they get any special treatment. For the greater good…to stop spread of virus …you need to follow the city ordinance and stay home.
Here they are pro birth yet don’t seem to care that they are recklessly endangering the lives of the people at the clinic, the police, and each other and contributing to spread of virus…all these contaminsted people then spread it to others!
Oh yeah. I see by the numerous examples you mention how right you r. So when your house gets broken into or family member assaulted, or god forbid seriously injured. Will you have the same attitude of the people who will help you? You should really rethink the comments you make. They may save your life or life of a loved one.
Have they arrested all the out of town golfers at the Greensboro and Sedgefield Country Clubs?
The President has made a golf a special privilege for those that can afford it during this pandemic. And, to stress this, the Secret Service has ordered golf carts valued at $45000 for the President.
An your feelings outweigh the feelings of others.hardly,abortion stops a beating heart.how many have you had?if there is a God there is a special place un hell for you an those who think like you
Are the police checking to make sure that all of those seeking services at the abortion clinic are from Guilford County?? Have we checked shoppers at stores to make sure they didn’t come from another county?? Watts is grasping at straws with that argument.
Four men walking on a sidewalk causes concern for the health and safety of others? Where’s the concern for the babies inside the abortion clinic? and the aftermath of an abortion, dealt with by the women making those unfortunate decisions?
Where’s your concern for the babies they are murdering???
I think they were well informed of what they should have been doing and willfully decided to do the opposite instead. Endangering citizens in the name of religious freedom to harass women in a difficult time in their lives is one of the worst cases you could break the order for in my opinion and I hope they are held to full account for their incredibly irresponsible choices.
Was it a difficult time for the babies that were murdered?
Who were they endangering and how? Please be specific.
You can’t violate a person 1st or 14th Amendment Constitutional rights based upon them being from “another county.”
The order states people can only be out to visit an “essential business”, exercise or help a family member. They weren’t doing either.
Obviously selected enforcement based on the fact they are protesting an activity near and dear to Democrat Socialists. Who else in Greensboro has been arrested?
If the police had arrested even ONE person anywhere else in Greensboro, they might have a little bit of defense. But NO, out of thousands of people who were out and about that day, they arrested these four, who all just happened to be lawfully protesting a policy with which they disagree. The city doesn’t have a leg to stand on!
Sounds like a reasonable stupid tax
What a dummy!
They should have brought guns to their little walk and prayer session. Then they could claim second amendment and all would be good in the world.
Seems most opinions are slanted based on abortion rights as to whether the law grants outsiders to picket businesses not in their own township. Well, that’s done every day in DC. This is a Stay at Home order. If you have med needs you can use the facility per that order. These folks aren’t using the facility, hence they should not be around. It’s a small group but they didn’t get a permit to do this which could be an issue. Bottom line, people can protest anything anywhere almost. I just think at this horrific time this was poor judgment. They weren’t going to stop anything. They did this to make themselves feel better; but at whose expense? They weren’t going to save a life that day. They have endangered other people’s lives by leaving their home.
That’s stupid, people these days get mad because they got caught breaking the rules so they pout because they cant face the consequences of being in the wrong. I hope the judge looks at this case and laughs. All it takes is one woman to say one of the men harassed her. Losers.
Why is abortans an essential thing anyways?
It’s ok if you don’t stay at home as long as you’re not promoting christianity or their belief! Wake up people only the Christians are being persecuted during this “pandemic!”
Why is the abortion clinic operating as normal, using critical personal protection equipment for ele give services while dental services, all other electives surgeries, chemo treatments have been cancelled?
This is not about abortion. It’s about stopping the spread of a dangerous extremely infectious virus. This “you’re not the boss o me” attitude is childish. Everyone needs to obey the law.
In the beginning the first women tried to kill Adam because he had penis and she didn’t. Now women are killing our babies. The devil is a woman and women are as evil today as Eve was in the beginning of time. Is this virus today a clearing of mankind? Tell the truth.
“The Order directs people to stay at home except to visit essential businesses, to exercise outdoors or to help a family member.” They were clearly in violation of the order. “Lock them up, lock them up”.
The real reason that they were arrested was because they were all white men. If they were black they would have been allowed to continue their protest without any problems.
A few issues here that will cause legal concerns:
1) They only enforced this law in this one place in the entire city.
2) They are intentionally NOT charging non-essential businesses in violation of the same order. They are just going around asking them to close and leaving if they say no. So it seems there are some selective enforcement concerns.
3) Similarly, they are not charging any individuals approaching cars and begging money, which is not an essential business, especially when an emergency shelter is available to those in need. They are certainly easy to find and by the nature of their activity are getting closer than 6 feet to everyone who hands them something.
4) If you consider that the purpose of the order is to limit the spread of germs, but the order says it is ok to walk around outside for exercise, then these 4 or 5 people were not putting out any more germs than 5 guys out for a power walk. The fact that they had shirts with a message on it should not be any justification for singling them out.
Abortion is elective. Tobacco is elective. Our government is just trying out flexing on their own masses of ppl to see how easy or hard it will be for the government to take the upper hand and control their citizens completely. This is a trial run for the big one they are gonna pull out on Americans in just a few here. Watch em. Cuz it’s coming. Wake up ppl, stop believing everything you hear & see in the media. The media is controlled by the same group that wants to control the masses. From what I have seen? Majority of Americans are fooled already and do not question the antics or tactics of our corrupt system. Serving God, mankind and making it into heaven are essentials. They will arrest you for these essentials soon & very soon.
So let me get this straight…
Greensboro’s Democratic Mayor issues a non-constitutional order, allows a non-essential business to remain open to provide abortions to clients who cross county lines if they choose, but pushes for arrest of other Americans.
Always follow the money and agenda.
Nope, our mayor is not trying to save lives.
If she was, this abortion clinic would be closed just like all other non-essential businesses.
This type of conflict naturally occurs when government does not fully grasp the limits of its authority.