Posted on 01/09/2005 12:58:09 PM PST by tmp02
...On October 10, 2004, the four Christians were arrested in Philadelphia. They are part of Repent America. Along with founder Michael Marcavage, members of Repent America-with police approval--were preaching near Outfest, a homosexual event, handing out Gospel literature and carrying banners with Biblical messsages.
When they tried to speak, they were surrounded by a group of radical homosexual activists dubbed the Pink Angels. A videotape of the incident shows the Pink Angels interfering with the Christians' movement on the street, holding up large pink symbols of angels to cover up the Christians' messages and blowing high pitched whistles to drown out their preaching.
Rather than arrest the homosexual activists and allow the Christians to exercise their First Amendment rights, the Philadelphia police arrested and jailed the Christians!
They were charged with eight crimes, including three felonies: possession of instruments of crime (a bullhorn), ethnic intimidation (saying that homosexuality is a sin), and inciting a riot (reading from the Bible some passages relating to homosexuality) despite the fact that no riot occurred. /snip/
| Posted by paudio On News/Activism 01/07/2005 1:55:20 AM CST · 183 replies · 3,865+ views Christian Post ^ | 1/6/05 | Lilia Tse "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... |
Ping.
Free the Philadelphia 4
Posted: December 20, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
I'm amazed when seemingly intelligent people tell me they still think the American Civil Liberties Union is a group that fights for First Amendment freedoms no matter whose ox is being gored.
If that's the case, why is the ACLU not filing amicus briefs in Philadelphia where four Christians are facing 47 years in jail for expressing their free-speech rights?
That's right. Four Christians are facing 47 years in prison for peacefully quoting the Bible, an action an unglued local prosecutor determined to be "fighting words" when cited among homosexual activists.
It all started Oct. 10, when a total of 11 members of Repent America attended a homosexual street festival called "Outfest."
The group, ranging in age from 17 to 72, was surrounded at times by the organizers' security force, known as the "Pink Angels."
Videotapes and still photos taken at the event show the Pink Angels blocking the path of the Repent America members, shouting at them, blowing whistles and so forth. The Christians remain peaceful and calm at all times, despite what appears to be extraordinary provocation, intimidation and harassment.
Guess who was arrested?
That's right. The Christians.
And they've been charged with a long list of felonies and hate crimes that would make the Founding Fathers spin in their graves.
Repent America director Michael Marcavage is charged with three felonies – criminal conspiracy, ethnic intimidation and riot. (If you're wondering what "ethnic intimidation" means at a homosexual event, you have to understand the city of Philadelphia has extended hate crime laws to protect the sexually aberrant as well as racial minorities.) He was also hit with five misdemeanors for walking on the city sidewalks and quoting Holy Scriptures.
Mark Diener and James Cruse are charged with criminal conspiracy, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct and obstructing highways. Dennis Green is charged with criminal conspiracy, disorderly conduct and obstructing highways. The criminal conspiracy charge links all the defendants together so that Marcavage's "ethnic intimidation" hate-crime charge will apply to all of them.
This is one of the most brazen, frontal attacks on religious freedom and free speech I have seen in my lifetime. If these charges stand, Christians across America will soon be hunted down like dogs as they are in many parts of the world today as the most persecuted religious group on the planet.
It's ironic that this persecution would take place in Philadelphia, the so-called "City of Brotherly Love."
Of course, Philadelphia wasn't always so inhospitable to Christians.
It's worth remembering the very first legislative act in Pennsylvania, April 25, 1682. It was called the Great Law of Pennsylvania – and great it was.
"Whereas the glory of Almighty God and the good of mankind is the reason and the end of government, and, therefore government itself is a venerable ordinance of God ... [there shall be established] laws as shall best preserve true Christian and civil liberty, in opposition to all unchristian, licentious, and unjust practices, whereby God may have his due, and Caesar his due, and the people their due, from tyranny and oppression."
If indeed the Philadelphia 4 are convicted and sentenced to hard time, Christians need to march on the Philadelphia courthouse, encircle it, blow the trumpets and prepare to watch God work a miracle like He did at Jericho.
We should do this not just for the injustice to the four Philadelphia Christians, but because no one in America – not Christians or non-Christians, not black or white, not homosexual or heterosexual – will truly be free. We will be living in a country where people can be imprisoned arbitrarily for breaking no law other than the law of "political correctness."
If we're going to save freedom in America, it's going to take a miracle.
Will you come to Philadelphia?
Homosexuals are now an ethnic group. Who knew?
It was posted here yesterday that the case was dismissed.
Thanks for the update! I was told about this in church today and did some checking.
I don't remember the title of the thread, but seem to recall that the word "dismissed" was in the title. You might search it that way.
They've always considered themselves a minority, and have rallied their agenda under the banner of Civil Rights.
Is that some form of boxer shorts?
I read that post yesterday and all the links and comments attached, and I found it extremely confusing. The headline seemed to say that they were acquitted, but the article only mentioned the earlier acquittal of everyone except the ones who were still on the hook.
So it's not at all clear whether this case is over or not. I'd like to see a more reliable source, better written, containing the actual statement that they were acquitted. Until then, I'll suspend judgment on what the situation is.
the charges were dropped for some but 4 people arestil lwaiting to fgo to trail and they still face the whole 47 years in prison
we need a million Christian march on them
Do you know of any mainstream media outlet that is covering this story? Can you provide a link? Love worldnet daily but would like to see what the liberal take is on this.
Lets all get a grip here. Does anyone really believe someone will get 1 day (let alone 47 years) in prison for reading the Bible in public? I for one don't. Despite all the noise made by the "Freedom from Religion" crowd, we don't live in a Stalinist state.
"does anyone really believe somone will get one day"
I hope you don't have to eat those words. When sodomy got the legal nod in Texas, we were called alarmists that marriage would be next on their agenda. There is no reason to think that homosexual employees of the justice department who advised police on the arrest of these citizens exercising their right of free speech will not be prosecuted to the fullest extent by those same employees.
Now, it's time to begin the civil suits seeking treble damages and criminal suits against all individuals and jurisdictions involved -- for false arrest, false imprisonment, harassment, violation of Constitutional rights, violation of RICO statutes, etc., etc.
And, of course, go for the their damned throats and WIN.
The words "now acquitted" are wrong. If you follow the link to the original, you find this is not the headline there. Nor does the first sentence of the post appear in the original article. The four individuals are still facing charges.
Charges were dropped against six others after the judge viewed the video.
Why doesn't the D.A. lose his job?
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