GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County Prosecutor told FOX 17 in a recent interview that the Grand Rapids Police Department had received complaints regarding a downtown abortion clinic.
Through a Freedom of Information Act Request, FOX 17 received a copy of the complaints at the clinic located at 320 Fulton.
There are three complaints. The police department notes on each that they are not actively investigating these complaints.
The first was reported on July 7, 2022:
A member of the public, whose name was redacted from the incident report, came into Grand Rapids Police headquarters to report "illegal abortions" at the clinic, the report says.
Abortion rights remain legal in Michigan currently.
The member of the public stated in the report she was a member of a group that she would not name. The woman reported witnessing six women enter the clinic for abortions, according to the documents.
Police officers asked the woman how she knew the six women were at the clinic for abortions and not another medical procedure. The woman told police, according to the report, two women told her that they were there for abortions.
The report states that the woman would not refer to the medical provider at the clinic who performs abortions as a doctor.
According to the report, a witness recorded a woman stating she was at the clinic to receive an abortion because she "wanted to get rid of it," and that she was not seeking the procedure for "medical reasons."
On July 12, a man came into the Grand Rapids Police Department in connection to the complaint made on July 7. The man turned over a video recording. The man stated he was not associated with the woman who made the initial report. The man turned over a thumb drive, the documents say.
The report says the video was 50 seconds in length. An officer notes downloading the video in the report. The officer says they could not make out what the person's response was when questioned why they were receiving an abortion. The thumb drive was returned to the man.
The woman in the July 7 report stated someone from her group would "likely be there to make reports daily," and the woman states in the report that she had been in contact with both the Kent County Prosecutor and Grand Rapids Police Chief.
The woman reportedly called to follow up on the case numerous times and left multiple voice mails with detectives. A police officer informed the woman the case was not going to be investigated at this time. The woman was not happy to hear that news, the report says.
The woman stated in the report that she had spoken with Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker regarding this case.
The officer informed the woman at this time their current instructions are not to investigate such complaints.
A second incident report is taken on August 3, which is an update to the July 7 incident report:
A woman comes in and says she is with the group "On Earth Ministries" and that they have posted a video on YouTube which the woman says depicts the July 7 incident. The link was provided to officers.
Officers asked the woman why she was coming in to report this nearly a month later, the documents show. The woman states she "receives push-back" when she calls.
The report states that those making reports claim a man who they presume to be the father of a child stated "I don't want this baby," in the video.
Days later, another group of people stopped at the department, angry that their claims of "illegal abortions" were not being investigated. Abortion remains legal in Michigan. Witnesses are described as being frustrated that more reports were not made in connection to the incident on July 7. Police explain they do not create more than one police report per incident, but added an incident report containing the information.
Police asked the person filing the report why they wanted to make an additional report. The response was: to "make it known that illegal abortions are still happening," and to "increase visibility."
A third incident report is made on August 5, also in connection to the July 7 report:
This incident report states that a "similar" instance happened to that described on July 29.
The person filling out the report stated they stand outside the clinic from Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The person making the report stated that on July 29, another individual said they were going inside the clinic to have an abortion. The man making the report requested the officer specify that the person he spoke to on July 29 stated "their life was not in danger."
A detective was not assigned to the case.
The incident report notes that this is documentation for Prosecutor Becker, awaiting Becker's decision on how to handle these complaints.
The incident report concludes that no detective was assigned because the incident did not meet the criteria for an assignment.
