As conservative states continue to challenge federal laws on abortion, in deep blue Oregon, the debate over abortion rights is happening on a much smaller scale, and it鈥檚 happening on your average street corner.
Grants Pass business owners say Evangelical groups are increasingly harassing customers with profanities and images of aborted fetuses.
Veronica Noble of Tasty Treasures Food Truck says they scared away customers at this year鈥檚 annual Boatnik festival.
鈥淭hey had very graphic picture signs and words and they were just yelling at everybody,鈥� Noble said. 鈥淭hey were calling people out of the crowd and telling them they were going to go to hell if they did things.鈥�
Jon Clements of a group called the RV Saltshakers says they鈥檙e doing the Bible鈥檚 bidding.
鈥淗ave you no wish for others to be saved, then you my friend are not saved, be sure of that,鈥� Clements said. 鈥淚n other words, if you don鈥檛 care about people going to hell, then you鈥檙e on your way to hell.鈥�
But residents say their proselytizing goes too far. Mike Pelfrey spoke at a Grants Pass city council meeting along with a handful of business owners in mid-May.
鈥淚 am a Christian, and I go to church, but I don鈥檛 yell at people on the way to church and force them to want to understand what my beliefs are,鈥� Pelfrey said.
At that meeting, city attorney Mark Bartholomew said staff were looking into the issue. He didn鈥檛 return a request for comment.
