This time of year can be rough at the clinic. Escorts show up at odd, non-escorting hours to shovel snow and spread salt at the clinic entrance and as much of the sidewalk as we can manage. We clutch cups of coffee, stamp our feet, and go through countless hand and toe warmers while on the sidewalk for anywhere from one to two hours, oftentimes standing still. But if it’s cold, it’s also generally quieter – antis don’t want to be out in it any more than anybody else does.

Today warmed up a bit compared to our most recent Saturdays, though, and we unfortunately had plenty of energetic antis.

Our local extremist group had a number of copies of the “Lesser Magistrate Doctrine” with them, attempting to persuade members of LMPD to accept them.

The large standing speakers were rolled out, significantly obstructing a portion of the sidewalk when combined with the chairs, strollers, and large signs brought by the antis, and reached in excess of 100 decibels at various times throughout the morning…

… Which was enough to bring one guest staying at Aloft hotel, more than a block away, over to complain to both LMPD and the antis about the noise having woken her early. She wasn’t too happy.