Violent clash at Planned Parenthood could lead to safety ‘buffer zones’
A Walnut Creek City Council member wants safety “buffer zones” marked at protests in the wake of a recent clash where private security guards flanking Planned Parenthood protesters pepper-sprayed counterdemonstrators.
Some residents told the council this week that the Oct. 13 incident at the Planned Parenthood office on Oakland Boulevard raises safety concerns.
Councilman Kevin Wilk said at the meeting he’s firmly against the idea of bringing armed guards to protests, adding that the security was “as close to a private police force as I’ve seen in our city.
“Based on the weapons these guards had, it looks like these guards were there to intimidate and prepare for escalation,” Wilk said.
He asked city staff to draft an ordinance that would create a 25-foot buffer between protesters and their target.
Anti-abortion protests are a common sight in front of Planned Parenthood health clinics around the country. Planned Parenthood offers a variety of health care treatments for women, including abortions done inside or referred elsewhere.
According to the Walnut Creek Police Department’s Facebook post, officers were called to the Planned Parenthood clinic on Oct. 13 “after an initial confrontation had taken place, during which privately-hired security guards apparently used pepper spray on some of the counter-protesters.”
Police said they are investigating the incident and may refer the case to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office, which could file charges.
“Anyone bringing armed guards to any type of protest adds a level of risk and concern that things aren’t going to be peaceful any more,” resident Stella Kondonijakos told the council during the public comment period of the meeting.
Another speaker, city Planning Commissioner Brandt Andersson, warned that without the city’s intervention, these kinds of confrontations will only escalate until “someone is seriously hurt.”
“Terror cannot be permitted to stand and the people who assaulted citizens of Walnut Creek should be held accountable — and without delay,” Andersson said. “Every day that goes by without consequences emboldens such behavior.”
Wilk said in an interview Thursday he doesn’t know when staff will present a draft ordinance, and if it does Mayor Loella Haskew would decide whether to include it on the council’s agenda.
If Wilk is re-elected Nov. 3, he would serve as mayor next year, assuming the council maintains its tradition of rotating council members into that role.
On Tuesday, Wilk suggested that women planning to visit Planned Parenthood during the recent protest may have been dissuaded by the demonstrators and their private security. He noted that the head of Walnut Creek’s Planned Parenthood office praised the city’s police response.
“We support people exercising their First Amendment rights, but we want to make it as safe as possible for everyone without people feeling threatened,” Wilk said.