Or Burn : Anti-Abortion Terrorism in Kalamazoo

Abstract

In the case of the arson of Planned Parenthood South Central Michigan on December 1, 1986, the responses to a politically-charged arson that did over a million dollars in damage were minimal. The arson gained little to no national attention and did not even warrant a mention in multiple secondary sources claiming to be authorities on anti-abortion violence. For a local fire that did little damage, such a response (or lack thereof) would be expected, even warranted. But the arson of the Planned Parenthood South-Central Michigan was not just a local fire, but one in a series of significant incidents of anti-abortion violence across the county. It had implications not just for Kalamazoo but for the state of Michigan and the United States. This project tells the story of this arson and explores the context in which it took place as well as the larger socioeconomic, racial, and gender issues to which the arson alludes.