In 2022, a Michigan man, Richard Harvey, 75, shot an 84-year-old woman in the back as she was leaving his property. The woman was Joan Jacobson who had been going door-to-door passing out literature in opposition to a pro-abortion state proposal.
Despite pleading ‘no contest’ to felonious assault, careless discharge of a firearm causing injury and reckless discharge of a firearm, Richard Harvey has been allowed to avoid jail time and instead receive community service and pay a small fine.
Richard Harvey, 75, was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. Judge Suzanne Hoseth Kreeger also gave him a suspended jail sentence of two months and a delayed sentence of one year on probation.
Harvey pleaded no contest last month to felonious assault, careless discharge of a firearm causing injury and reckless discharge of a firearm.
Harvey also must pay $347.19 in restitution and cannot have any contact with the woman he shot, 84-year-old Joan Jacobson.
Shockingly this case is not unique but rather is part of an ongoing trend that suggests there is a double standard when it comes to how the U.S. Department of Justice handles cases involving pro-life individuals versus those involving pro-abortion activists – greater punishments for one side than for the other.
On Facebook Sharon Harvey’s page showed ‘very strong opinions on abortion’ according to Anna Visser Right to Life Michigan Communications Director and further evidence revealed by 911 calls made after Jacobson was shot suggest that Richard Harvey believed her literature was indicative of her being a “right wing nut”.
It appears from these conversations that Richard Harvey saw Joan Jacobson as a political enemy who he felt needed punishing for her beliefs which were opposed to his own.
I guess closing the door was too difficult for the Harveys that day.
Jacobson’s attorney said Sharon Harvey was “hostile, belligerent, and antagonistic” when Jacobson came to her door, LifeNews reports.
[Richard] Harvey has admitted to firing a warning shot at Jacobson before shooting the elderly woman but claims it was an accident. Jacobson and her attorney say that’s completely false and point out that Richard Harvey had already fired a warning shot and Jacobson had turned away to leave the couple’s property in her vehicle.
The attorney says the Harveys didn’t even try to help Jacobson once they realized Richard had shot her and he said Sharon Harvey didn’t bother to call 911 for help even though she had a cell phone with her at the time.
Compare this case with another which took place recently where David Scott Benham – also known as the Catholic Dad – pushed an abortion activist away from his son at an anti-abortion rally in Washington D.C., leading him to ultimately face federal charges for misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct following intervention by the FBI who sent armed agents and even SWAT teams into his home.
The heavy-handedness used by law enforcement here clearly stands in stark contrast with how little punishment Richard Harvey received after shooting an elderly woman in cold blood just because she did not share his views on abortion rights.
It can be argued then that while both individuals were defending their respective causes they were treated differently due primarily because one defendant held pro-life beliefs while the other defended more progressive values such as those related to abortion rights – something which could be seen as indicative of bias within law enforcement.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.
