A man was recently found guilty of violently assaulting two pro-life activists outside of the Planned Parenthood Baltimore Health Center in May 2023. Patrick Brice, 28, was convicted of two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment for the attack that victimized Richard Schaefer. At the time of the incident, the two men were 84 and 73, respectively.
According to reports, Brice, a Baltimore resident, did not deny that he attacked the two individuals but maintained he did not intend to seriously harm them. After two hours of deliberations, he was convicted. However, Brice was acquitted on one of first-degree assault for Schaefer and jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on one count of first-degree assault for Crosby.
Surveillance footage captured the entire attack, which shows Brice approach the two men who were praying on the sidewalk outside of the clinic. The video shows Briace and Schaefer appear to speak with each other. The 28-year-old looked as if he was about to walk away from the scene, but turned around and tackled Schaefer into a flowerpot. Crosby quickly intervenes, trying to break up the attack before Brice turns on him, punching and kicking the elderly man in the face.
Both men faced injuries as a result of Brice’s assault. Schaefer claimed that he initially did not seek medical care, but eventually went to an urgent care after noticing bleeding in his head. The victim still claims he has shoulder pain to this day. “It seems like I was attacked on a city street not doing any harm to people,” Schaefer said in his testimony.
Crosby reportedly spent three days at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center after he was violently assaulted. He was later forced to receive emergency medical care several times. Crosby testified that he suffered an orbital fracture and experience blurred vision, sensitivity to light in his right eye, and foreign body sensation. “I have to watch my back all the time. Always aware of who’s around me,” he said.
Amid the hostility toward those who protest abortion, the Trump administration has vowed to protect pro-life activists. Last month, The American Tribune reported on comments from Vice President JD Vance at the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. There, Vance slammed the Biden administration for throwing “pro-life protestors in prison.”
“We failed a generation not only by permitting a culture of abortion on demand but also by neglecting to help young parents achieve the ingredients they need to live a happy and meaningful life,” Vance said. “A culture of radical individualism took root, one where the responsibilities and joys of family life were seen as obstacles to overcome, not as personal fulfillment or personal blessings. Our society has failed to recognize the obligation that one generation has to another is a core part of living in a society to begin with.”
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Maintaining the activists would no longer be persecuted, he said, “It stopped on Monday and we’re not going to let it come back to this country. This administration stands by you, we stand with you, and most importantly, we stand with the most vulnerable and the basic principle that people exercising the right to protest on behalf of the most vulnerable should never have the government go after them ever again.”