Former federal prosecutor slams Republicans for violence against abortion rights defenders

When the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on Friday, June 24 — overturning Roe v. Wade after 49 years — massive demonstrations occurred all over the United States. Pundits in the right-wing media have been making the ludicrous claim that only liberal and progressive abortion rights defenders would respond to the ruling with violence, but former federal prosecutor Joyce White Vance has been quick to note the right-wing MAGA violence that has occurred since the Dobbs ruling was handed down.
On June 25, Vance — a University of Alabama law professor and frequent guest on MSNBC — tweeted:
\u201cRemember how there were DHS & FBI bulletins about the risk of violence when Roe was reversed? Turns out it's not the peaceful pro-choice protestors law enforcement needed to be worried about. Same blind spot as before.\u201d— Joyce Alene (@Joyce Alene) 1656201486
Vance was responding to a June 25 tweet by Democrat Jennifer Rourke, who is running for a seat in the Rhode Island State Senate in the 2022 midterms. Rourke alleges that she was violently attacked by a Republican police officer, who was off duty, after speaking at an abortion rights rally in Providence. According to the Providence Police Department, the alleged assailant, Jeann Lugo, has been “placed on administrative leave…. pending a criminal investigation.”
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Lugo was running against Rourke in that race but announced that he has dropped out.
On June 25, the Daily Beast’s Noah Kirsch reported that Rourke told the publication “that she has been suffering from concussion-like symptoms and has been in touch with Providence police about pressing charges.” According to Kirsch, Rourke “went to the hospital over the weekend to receive a precautionary CT scan, she said, and doctors told her to return if her symptoms worsen.”
\u201cI'm a reproductive rights organizer & State Senate candidate. Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent \u2013 a police officer \u2013 violently attacked me. \n\nThis is what it is to be a Black woman running for office. I won't give up.\n\nhttps://t.co/ZREDP2dvXY\u201d— Jennifer Rourke (@Jennifer Rourke) 1656167032
\u201cUpdate: PPD Officer Jeann Lugo is confirmed as the off duty officer involved in this incident. Media will continue to be updated as necessary related to this investigation and incident.\u201d— Providence Police (@Providence Police) 1656184326
\u201c@JenRourke29 https://t.co/XtkiZ9PVAJ\u201d— Jennifer Rourke (@Jennifer Rourke) 1656167032
\u201cThe PPD is criminally investigating the behavior of an off duty officer last evening during a protest where a female was assaulted. The officer has served for 3 yrs and placed on administrative leave w/pay this morning, pending a criminal investigation and administrative review\u201d— Providence Police (@Providence Police) 1656169147
Vance also tweeted:
\u201cAdding this in here from last night as well\u201d— Joyce Alene (@Joyce Alene) 1656201486
Providence wasn’t the only place where violence against abortion rights protesters occurred. Another incident occurred in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on June 24:
\u201cA truck driver ran over two peaceful protesters at a pro-abortion rally in Cedar Rapids.\n\nOne woman's foot was run over.\n\nThis is a photo of the truck that hit two women crossing the street during a peaceful pro-abortion protest in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.\u201d— BNN Newsroom (@BNN Newsroom) 1656118600
\u201cA truck driver ran over two peaceful protesters at a pro-abortion rally in Cedar Rapids.\n\nOne woman's foot was run over.\n\nThis is a photo of the truck that hit two women crossing the street during a peaceful pro-abortion protest in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.\u201d— BNN Newsroom (@BNN Newsroom) 1656118600
Some of the abortions rights demonstrations that took place after the Dobbs ruling was announced were massive. In Philadelphia, for example, thousands of abortion rights protesters gathered outside of City Hall on June 24 and filled nearby streets. That demonstration, which was followed by more demonstrations in Philly the following day, was largely peaceful, although there were some tense moments when some far-right Christian fundamentalists showed up to taunt people in the crowd.
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