Posted on 01/06/2005 11:55:20 PM PST by paudio
"Hate Crime" charges against four Christian men, facing a total of 47 years in prison, were dropped after the judge viewed the tape of the incident.
Four Christian men were charged with “hate crime” felony when in fact they were peacefully protesting a homosexual street event on October 10, 2004 in Philadelphia. Concerned Women for America (CWA) urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to intervene. The four adult defendants, who face a total of 47 years in prison if convicted of the three felonies and five misdemeanors, pled not guilty.
“The District Attorney’s office went berserk, saddling them with criminal charges including trying to incite a riot, even though the protesters were peaceful,” said Robert Knight, director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute. “Their crime was to cite Bible verses, which a prosecutor called ‘hateful,’ and to urge homosexuals, like other sinners, to repent. It’s frightening to see religious persecution on American soil, especially in the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence. The Justice Department needs to step in and investigate this civil rights violation by the city of Philadelphia.”
It all began when 11 Christians from Repent America began preaching and singing at Outfest, a homosexual street event. The Christians, led by Repent America founder Michael Marcavage, were surrounded by the Pink Angels, a group of homosexuals who held up Styrofoam signs, blocking the group. Police arrested only the Christians.
After viewing a videotape of the incident at the December 14 hearing, Municipal Court Judge William Austin Meehan dropped charges against six other defendants, including a 72-year-old grandmother. A juvenile defendant awaits separate court action.
“The felony charges in particular are outrageous. We’re talking about expressing an opinion in a public area,” Knight said.
So do I.
Municipal Court Judge William Austin Meehan
Viking kitties always go into battle naked -- except for their fur, of course.
There should also be bar complaints filed against the homosexual attorneys. A bar complaint would be a royal pain to those attorneys regardless of outcome. The beauty of the bar complaint is that the bar does the prosecuting and has to announce results and if they do nothing it is still a coverup.
It would send a message to homo-philes that persecuting christians for mere conscience beliefs will be punished.
Even a civil suit, just filing a billion dollar suit would have a chilling effect on all police departments to not let this happen again.
IT'S NOT OVER. READ THAT ARTICLE AGAIN... THE CHARGES WERE DROPPED AGAINST THE 6, NOT AGAINST THE OTHER 4. THIS CASE IS STILL PROCEEDING. AT LEAST AS FAR AS I CAN TELL NOW...
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Sounds like Christians and lovers of liberty should boycott Filthydelphia, if only for their own safety.
If this is true, the guilty maggot is probably one of Jake Reno's perfumed pink panty wearing maggots. It should be exposed, fired by Justice and then sued by the wrongfully imprisoned Christians. The maggot is probably a card carrying ACLU maggot activist.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1315979/posts
Report Says Homosexual DOJ Lawyers Complicit in Arrest of Christians
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1818 ^
Posted on 01/07/2005 7:06:53 AM PST by jasoncann
A source from the U.S. Justice Department reported to WorldNetDaily that homosexual attorneys from the U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division attended a homosexual event called “OutFest” in Philadelphia last October and advised police who arrested 11 Christians at the event.
After a judge saw video footage of four of the Christians quoting Bible verses, they were bound over for trial and now face up to 47 years in prison. They were charged with three felony (criminal conspiracy, ethnic intimidation, and riot) and five misdemeanor charges, and the city of Philadelphia labeled the Bible as hate speech.
According to the WorldNetDaily report, the DOJ attorneys may have recommended to police that the Christians be charged with “ethnic intimidation” under Pennsylvania’s new “hate crimes” law. The DOJ employee who spoke to WorldNetDaily on condition of anonymity says that, due to the homosexual U.S. attorneys’ involvement, it is unlikely the DOJ will take up the cause of those now facing criminal charges.
Brian Fahling, senior trial attorney for the AFA Center for Law & Policy, defends the arrested Christians and says the report of DOJ attorneys’
involvement on the scene should trouble all who are following the case.
“This case is historic for all the wrong reasons, and now it turns out that Department of Justice attorneys attended ‘Outfest’ and may have advised the city on what charges to bring,” Fahling said. “ I am stunned.”
“It has been made abundantly clear that my clients will never get justice from Philadelphia, and now it looks like they won't get it out of Washington, D.C. either. This is not an erosion of our rights under the Constitution, it is an earthquake that has swallowed them whole.”
Fahling is asking the DOJ to open a criminal probe into the case.
“I believe the only way to overcome that possible bias is to get a public outcry on such a scale that it cannot be ignored by those higher up in the Department,” Fahling said.
More here.
Actually, having the charges thrown out by a judge is better than being "acquitted".
Juries "acquit".
Judges "dismiss".
O.J. was acquitted which means that the reviewing judges thought there was a good enough possibility of guilt to allow a jury to decide his fate.
Having a judge dismiss a case against the wishes of the prosecutor means that the judge has decided that the case is so devoid of legal merit and does not even deserve to go to a jury.
We visited Philadelphia a few years ago, to see the Liberty Bell and etc. Stayed downtown in a B&B, so we could be close. With our SON!!! It is Sodom and Gomorrah there, as bad or worse than San Fran, Sydney, Gay Days at Disneyland. There were male couples in the park, and drinking and partying went on til the wee hours. Who knew? Spread the word ....
You raised him right ...
hmmm... I wonder if these same homosexual DOJ employees are the ones that leaked the Alberto Gonzales 'torture' documents ???
"After viewing a videotape of the incident at the December 14 hearing, Municipal Court Judge William Austin Meehan dropped charges"
I'm sorry - but are they re-writting history again? This judge viewd the tapes back in December and FORMALIZED (accepted the homosexual DA's lies))the charges at that time!
This judge figured out that his life was probably worth more than the homosexual da/s love.
These so called HATE CRIME LAWS are a suppression of our Constitutional Rights for Freedom of Speech. They need to be repealed.
Check out this link:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1254190/posts
"The Justice Department needs to step in and investigate this civil rights violation by the city of Philadelphia.”
Yes the Justice Dept most certainly does, so are they going to be made to do just that? Philly needs to be accountable, especially the police and the DA.
I've gone to read the article about the acquittal, and it's not at all clear whether the 4 who were not cleared earlier by Judge Meehan have now been acquitted or not. The article is very confusing. Even the headline is confusing. It seems to have been rewritten in midcourse, and it does not seem to be borne out by the article.
I'd like to see a more definite report of this from a source that names the judge and the date of the acquittal before concluding that this confusing report is reliable.
After viewing the video, Judge Meehan dropped charges against all but 4 or the protestors. It's not clear from the article that he viewed the video again or subsequently dropped charges against the remaining 4.
He dropped charges against the others on a technicality: They were not actually caught on video quoting from the Bible.
"Good thing there was a videotape."
Everyone needs to get a camera phone, for self-defense!
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