October 1, 2020 was the one year anniversary of the “Ordinance Prohibiting Certain Activities Near Healthcare Facilities” aka the buffer zone ordinance passed by the city of Jackson. We jokingly refer to it as the “Twilight Buffer Zone” as it only exists on paper, because in one year not one anti abortion protester had been cited for violating the ordinance, despite there being an anti in violation pretty much EVERY DAY there were patients present.

Until Wednesday, November 11.

That Wednesday, the first arrest and “field release” happened. But it wasn’t one of the four screaming anti abortion street preachers on bullhorns and speakers that were there all morning long.

It was Basil Chisholm, husband of Pro-Life Mississippi vice-president Dana Chisholm, “letting himself” be arrested for being inside the buffer zone near the entrance to the parking lot. The Chisholms like to set up their chairs and sometimes a patio umbrella near the driveway with their signs and attempt to stop cars in the driveway to hand out anti-abortion literature.

Well, on Monday, November 16, there was a special Jackson City Council session held with one agenda item – “Discussion – Potential Litigation”. The City Council went into “closed session” to discuss “potential and ongoing” litigation regarding the “Ordinance Prohibiting Certain Activities Near Healthcare Facilities”. Specifically, repealing the ordinance.

When the City Council came back out of the closed session, they announced that there had been a unanimous vote by the Council in closed session to repeal the ordinance.

So the buffer zone that never really existed except on paper, doesn’t even exist on paper any more.

Here is the video of the one "arrest" before the law was repealed...where Basil was kind enough to allow himself to be arrested

P.S. - The irony of it all…Chisholm called the police on an escort for blowing bubbles as she walked away from him. That's why the police were there. He called them. On an escort blowing bubbles.