Police, FBI Not Taking Far-Left Violence Seriously: CEO of Pro-Life Center That Was Firebombed

An employee cleans up broken glass in the aftermath of a firebombing at CompassCare pregnancy center in Amherst, N.Y., on June 7, 2022. Dan Berger/The Epoch Times

The CEO of a Buffalo area pro-life center that was firebombed more than three months ago said that neither the Amherst Police Department (APD) nor the FBI is taking the case seriously, in part because of the politicization of the country’s security apparatus under President Joe Biden.

“The FBI and the Amherst police are stringing us along,” Rev. Jim Harden, CEO of CompassCare, told The Epoch Times.

“The FBI is not talking about any progress they’re making, from our perspective, no progress whatsoever and the Amherst Police keep giving us the typical media line: ‘We’re pursuing all of our leads’, which at 105 days, makes me think they’re not pursuing any of their leads.”

The result has been that CompassCare has sued the APD to recover the video evidence that was collected at the scene by the authorities and never in the custody of the CompassCare workers, so that at least the center can take measures to protect themselves.

The group’s Buffalo office, which provides ethical medical care and support for women considering an abortion, was firebombed by pro-abortion activists in the early hours of June 7. The attack caused extensive damage and cost CompassCare half a million to rebuild the premises, which re-opened its doors in August.

The graffiti “Jane was here” was scrawled on the side of the building during the attack, and Jane’s Revenge, a far-left pro-abortion group, took credit for the firebombing afterward.

Photo of the pro-life center, CompassCare, in Buffalo, New York, allegedly firebombed by pro-abortion activists in June 2022. Credit: CompassCare Community

Damage at the CompassCare pregnancy center in Amherst, N.Y. Its windows were shattered and fires set inside early on June 7, 2022. Spray-painted on one wall was the message "Jane was here." An pro-abortion group called Jane's Revenge took credit for the attack. Dan Berger/The Epoch Times

Amherst Town Attorney Stanley J. Sliwa told local media outlet Buffalo News that police would not turn over the video evidence to CompassCare out of concern that any dissemination of the video would compromise the investigation.

“[Police officials] do not wish the video to be publicly disseminated until they finish their investigation,” Sliwa said. “Releasing it would harm the investigation. Once the investigation is complete, we'll be happy to release the video.”

“Apparently, they don’t like the explanation,” Sliwa said of CompassCare officials. “They should understand that.”

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Sliwa appeared to suggest that publicity of the police investigation would stoke political violence from the right.

“You’re aware of all the nut jobs out there with guns and AK-47s, bombing and killing people because they have certain political views,” Sliwa said.

“The police department is trying to keep a lid on that and trying to keep the investigation as quiet as possible in order to ensure that these people don’t go further underground, as they may already be,” he added.

When asked about which people with AK-47s were engaging in violence over political views he was referring to, Sliwa said it was “people that are part and parcel of the revolt against the United States government” on Jan. 6, 2021.

When asked if he was alleging that the people at CompassCare had something to do with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Sliwa denied it.

“That’s not what I’m saying,” he said.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and CompassCare CEO Rev. Jim Harden at the reopening of the CompassCare Pregnancy Services center in Amherst, N.Y., on Aug. 1, 2022. Photo courtesy of CompassCare.

‘This Was Terrorism’

Harden said in addition to acting as a spokesperson for the police department, Sliwa has also been involved in the negotiations between CompassCare and the police department for the return of the video evidence.

“Actually we reached out to him after we exhausted all of our good faith efforts with the Amherst police department itself,” said Harden.

Harden said that despite the fact that they have a dedicated staff member in charge of cooperation with both the Amherst police and the FBI, he feels that both of the enforcement agencies have failed to cooperate with CompassCare, which is the victim of not just a crime but a terrorist incident.

“This isn’t just like a criminal action, this was terrorism, a politically motivated crime to get other people to stop doing what they’re doing,” said Harden.

Harden says that he believes police have suspects on the radar but, for whatever reason, are refusing to arrest them.

And he’s been fearful of speaking out because of possible retaliation by the Amherst Police and the FBI.

“I don’t know, but I think based on how they operate in the past I think their next move is character assassination” against him, Harden said.

The FBI responded to The Epoch Times’ request for information on the CompassCare attack, with the following response via email:

“The FBI is investigating a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers, faith-based organizations, and reproductive health clinics across the country, as well as to judicial buildings, including the US Supreme Court. The incidents are being investigated as potential acts of domestic violent extremism, FACE Act violations, or violent crime matters, depending on the facts of each case. The FBI takes all violence and threats of violence very seriously and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners at the national, state, and local levels to investigate these incidents.”

Double Standard

Harden believes that there’s a double standard between progressive politicians like President Joe Biden calling conservatives semi-fascist, while law enforcement ignores the terrorism that’s being targeted at pro-life crisis centers like CompassCare by those in the far left.

Harden said he was particularly bothered by rhetoric from Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono who was criticized last week for a literal “call to arms” against pro-lifers that she made on the Senate floor.

“That is how more and more women and those who support our right to make decisions about our own bodies, that is how we see it. And why? Because that’s what’s happening. Madam President, I yield the floor. But clearly, this is a—literally call to arms in our country. I yield the floor,” Hirono said on Sept. 14 at the conclusion of her speech opposing Sen. Lindsay Graham’s (R-S.C.) bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks.

In a statement on Sept. 20 Alveda King, a pro-life activist and niece of the late civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., said that the rhetoric coming from Biden has been harmful to the country unfairly depicting conservatives as threats.

“Mr. President, your rhetoric is harmful and irresponsible, and it is only serving to further divide this nation, despite your promises of unity,” said King.

“What’s interesting right now in America is the division is extreme, which is unfortunate,” King told The Epoch Times.

One symptom of that extremity is that Harden believes that some people in the Democrat Party are secretly rooting for far-left groups like Jane’s Revenge, which specialize in attacking pro-life crisis pregnancy centers such as CompassCare.

“Democrats are using the same language and they have coordinated efforts, even with Jane’s Revenge,” said Harden.

“I think that if they started making arrests before the midterms, it would blow the Democrats out of the water and they will lose their power,” Harden added about the alleged lack of progress by the Amherst Police and the FBI in the CompassCare arson case.

The Epoch Times previously reported that there have been zero arrests in response to 50 attacks against pro-life groups nationwide between 2021 and 2022.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Amherst Police Department, White House, and Democratic National Committee for comment.