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Street Cop Training

June 16, 2022

U.S. Senator in Maine Calls Police After Sidewalk Chalk Discovered In Front of Home

No, that title is not a joke; your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Maine U.S. Senator Susan Collins called local police to investigate a “pro-abortion rights” message written in chalk in front of her home.

Senator Collins called officers last Saturday evening to file a complaint about an anonymous message which asked her to support pro-abortion legislation. The message was written in chalk on the sidewalk, in front of her Bangor, Maine home. The chalk drawing, which was described by police as “intricate” and “non-threatening” read, “Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA—vote yes, clean up your mess.” WHPA is referring to the Women’s Health Protection Act, which if passed, would protect abortion rights in the state.

The police noted nothing suspicious around the senator’s home and concluded that the message did not meet the standards of a crime being committed. The message writer has not been identified at the time of this publication. A Bangor Public Works Department employee responded to the residence later that day to wash the chalk message off the sidewalk.

Senator Collins provided a statement to Bangor Daily News saying, “We are grateful to the Bangor police officers and the city public works employee who responded to the defacement of public property in front of our home.”

Senator Collins has recently come under fire for her opposition and efforts to block WHPA back in February due to the leaked draft opinion by the United States Supreme Court, which suggested the court might be poised to overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade case– a landmark case on the legality of abortion.

The Senate is poised to vote on the WHPA again on Wednesday May 11, 2022. Senator Collins has again indicated her intention to oppose the bill, which would need 60 votes in order to advance, a number most think the bill will not achieve. Senator Collins along with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski have instead introduced a different bill which would codify abortion rights while simultaneously allowing individual states to roll back protections.

What do you think? Obviously, the message was politically motivated, but is it a crime to write to your elected representative? Albeit in a very unorthodox manner. Let us know what you think in the comments below.