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Pro-life sidewalk counselor Anna Marie Mesia was arrested outside a Chicago abortion clinic July 26 for an alleged act of simple battery committed the previous day—when she wasn't even there [Photo by John Jansen]
As a group of pro-lifers were praying and sidewalk counseling outside the Albany Medical Surgical Center abortion facility in Chicago on the morning of July 26, two Chicago Police cars arrived around 10:15 a.m., and three officers entered the building.
Five minutes later they came back out, along with Albany employee Diana Maracick, who pointed to one of the group’s veteran sidewalk counselors, 64-year old Anna Marie Mesia. Officer Julie Felsenthal then approached her.
Officer Felsenthal told her that she was not allowed to touch anyone. Anna Marie replied that she hadn’t touched anyone. Officer Felsenthal then told Anna Marie the police had received a complaint that she had touched someone the previous day (Wednesday, July 25), and that she was under arrest.
Anna Marie said that she wasn’t even there that day — and, in fact, hadn’t been there since the previous Thursday, July 19.
But her protests were of no avail, and she was arrested anyway.
When the officers asked Anna Marie to show her ID, she replied that it was in her car parked across the street. They walked over with her to her car, and after she retrieved her ID, the officers told her to put her hands behind her back, handcuffed her, and placed her in one of the squad cars:
When Anna Marie asked the officers why she was being arrested, they replied, “Simple battery” — which, to reiterate, was alleged to have occurred the previous day, when she wasn’t even there.
To say that Anna Marie’s arrest by the Chicago Police was outrageous would be a gross understatement. Pro-Life Action League National Director Joe Scheidler was an eyewitness to her arrest, and he is shown in the video above talking on the phone to our attorneys at the Thomas More Society Pro-Life Law Center.
Make no mistake: this is not over.
Anna Marie was brought to the nearby 16th District police station and was released shortly before 3:00 p.m. — just in time for her to join Joe Scheidler and several other sidewalk counselors and prayer supporters in praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, followed by a late lunch.
Anna Marie then came to spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament at the St. Joseph Chapel in our office, after which I had the chance to speak with her.
I asked her if being arrested would make her shy away from sidewalk counseling in the future. Her reply: “Absolutely not,” adding that she was now “more convinced of how needed it is.”
She further noted that being arrested was — in a way that some may have great difficulty understanding — an answer to prayer. (It didn’t occur to me until later that this incident occurred on her feast day, July 26 being the feast of St. Anne.)
In Anna Marie’s words: “The Lord wanted me to become more courageous.” And the experience of being unjustly arrested under such absurd circumstances has made her just that.
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We have plenty of crime on our streets, but it was necessary to use three police officers to arrest a 76 year old woman for something she allegedly did the previous day? Who are the witnesses to the alleged crime? Why did they wait a day to report it? When she is surely vindicated, can she sue for false arrest?
Posted July 27, 2012 at 1:02 pm
It doesn’t even appear the cops had a complaintant, unless it is the worker at the babykilling abortion mill who pointed her out. Probably was, she probably went and filed a complaint and was told to call the police if the attacker showed up.
Posted July 27, 2012 at 6:06 pm
She was there on Wednesday, though. She often goes on Wednesdays and sidewalk counsels alone. The others at FPA today acknowledged it. This is some pretty shoddy reporting.
Posted July 28, 2012 at 10:51 am
I think a law suite is in order….. CPD I’m sure our Jewish Mayor would concur…..seeing how he is all for the children of this city, new schools, longer school hrs….can’t get that accomlished if you’re killing off the children…..RIGHT MAYOR…..?????
Posted July 30, 2012 at 10:49 am
Battery ???!! From a 76 yr old lady ?????? Geeez!!!
And 3 cops to do the arrest??? Way to go, CPD…! (NOT)
Next thing you know she’ll be found sumggling drugs and weapons across the border….
Posted July 30, 2012 at 12:51 pm
[...] According to the Pro-Life Action League, Mesia was one of a number of pro-life activists standing outside the abortion facility on July 26, when three police arrived in two cars. After entering the facility, they reemerged, and approached Anna Marie. [...]
Posted August 31, 2012 at 2:31 am
[...] also the abortion clinic outside of which 65-year old sidewalk counselor Anna Marie Mesia has been arrested on bogus charges twice in the past four months, and where police officers recently told us to [...]
Posted November 26, 2012 at 11:34 am