A Wisconsin man claims that his 16-year-old son was harassed by two men while protesting outside an abortion facility.
Matt Trewhella, a Milwaukee pastor, says that on Saturday, September 24, his son was participating in a protest across the street from a Milwaukee abortion facility, when two men crossed the street from the facility and sat on a nearby bench. Trewhella’s son began to film the men, reportedly because they began discussing the property of the pro-lifers, including their van and trailer.
In the video, one of the men, upon discovering he was being filmed, appears to approach within very close proximity to the teenage boy, who asks the man to stay out of his personal space. “Call the police,” the man responds repeatedly.
The two men argue with Trewhella’s son for some time. At one point, the boy can be heard saying, “You’re definitely in my personal space right now, and you walked up and approached me…” One of the men responds, “No I didn’t,” despite the incident being captured on film.
In the video, Trewhella’s son can be heard claiming that one of the men physically contacted him. “You just touched me like four times,” he says. The same man later circles around behind the boy, and allegedly kicks the boy’s sign.
Upon arriving at the scene, police are seen viewing the video. After questioning the boy, one of the officers tells the pro-lifers, “I have to be real honest with you guys, you guys are the aggressors here.”
Trewhella has posted the video to Facebook so that viewers can see what happened for themselves. He alleges that the police response is typical of the “dirty, dishonest” behavior he has come to expect from Milwaukee police toward peaceful pro-lifers.
