Planned Parenthood protest draws outsized counter-rally in St. Paul

[sarisataka]

Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press

Counter-protesters outnumbered protesters 10 to 1 at a St. Paul rally Saturday morning calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood.

Sarah Stoesz, president of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, called the counterprotest an unprecedented event. A St. Paul police commander on scene estimated the original protesters numbered about 500 while the counter-protesters numbered about 5,000 to 5,500.

“We’ve never seen anything like this at Planned Parenthood here in Minnesota,” Stoesz said. “Here in Minnesota we have 64,000 patients and about 24,000 of them would lose access to their health care if Congress is allowed to so-called defund Planned Parenthood. So it’s a very serious matter and you can see people are taking it very, very seriously.”

The defund rally was one of over 200 coordinated nationwde by the #ProtestPP Coalition, according to Brian Gibson of Pro-Life Action Ministries.

Read more: http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/11/planned-parenthood-protest-draws-outsized-counter-rally-in-st-paul/

[mobeau69]

1. Wow! That was an amazing turn-out by the PP counter-protesters!

Photos and video are impressive.

[progree]

2. Soros again, sigh

The protest Saturday began at 9 a.m. at the Planned Parenthood Vandalia Health Center on University Avenue and Vandalia Street. As the anti-Planned Parenthood protesters chanted “Defund Planned Parenthood!” the much larger crowd of counter-protesters, separated from them by a barricade and about 20 feet of pavement, shouted, “Defend Planned Parenthood!”

...Protester Mel Brandl of Mounds View shrugged off the larger counter-protest, saying half of them were paid and noting that the vast majority of them carried the same, pink, mass-produced sign.

Half of them sounds vague. C'mon, tell us. Was it 48%? 52%? More than half? Just under a half? What was the average pay? Were they paid before or after? With prepaid debit cards? Details, Mel, details. `

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. If it were paid protestors, the money-bags Citizens United crew could outspend them.

But the Cons never mount paid protests to try to out-number our side, even though they have much more money than the single billionaire they keep trying to pin it on.

But they never pay and never get the numbers.

Therefore there is no pay on either side. QED (quod erat demonstratum)

It is simply that there are more anti-tRump people in this country than pro-Trump cons (and conned).

[blm]

7. they never seem to see a problem with Korean cult leaders or Australian extortionists using big $$$$

to influence the global fascist agenda…or the Koch Brother money…or the Mercer money….or the Adelson money….

But, boy howdy, that Soros sure was sold as the boogeyman to them, even though his money spent is less than 1% of theirs.

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Only half were paid......wait until the other half finds out.....Mel's an idiot.

[sheshe2]

3. That's how we do it!

Way to go PP and Minnesota!

[SunSeeker]

4. K & R

[Hekate]

6. We show up!

[calimary]

8. I signed up to make a monthly donation.

Decided it was high time. Thank you, trump 'n' comp, for motivating me! I did it, rather gleefully, in YOUR honor!

[AllaN01Bear]

9. wow

[BainsBane]

10. Today was also the Caravan of Love march in Minneapolis

Protesting anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim policy. So that competed with the St. Paul event, though some people did attend both.

[riversedge]

12. So lovely to see.

[pablo_marmol]

13. Well now here's a pick-me-up story!

Thank you sarisataka!