8 charged for blocking reproductive health care clinic in Sterling Heights

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich (FOX 2) - Eight people are facing charges after authorities say they formed a blockade outside a reproductive health care clinic in Sterling Heights.

Calvin Zastrow, Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Caroline Davis, Joel Curry, Justin Phillips, Eva Edl, and Eva Zastrow are charged with engaging in a civil rights conspiracy and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

The group is accused of blocking access to the clinic on Aug. 27, 2020. According to a federal indictment, Gallagher advertised the Sterling Heights clinic blockade on social media, and he and Curry live-streamed the incident. The group convened at a location near the clinic, where an uncharged person who recorded the incident announced that they were "going over to stand in front of the door" and "interpose."

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Idoni and Edl are also facing charges stemming from a 2021 blockade at a Saginaw clinic.