Posted on 07/21/2006 3:58:56 PM PDT by DBeers
(AgapePress) - Volunteers with a Philadelphia-based Christian ministry claim they were harassed by authorities in Chicago, Illinois, for sharing the gospel with homosexuals who were in town for the city's "Gay Games," an Olympics-style sports event series for homosexuals. Three people with the evangelical group Repent America say they were handcuffed and arrested by Chicago police officers for passing out Christian literature to homosexuals and holding up signs with Bible verses near Navy Pier.
The evangelists had been warned that they would be arrested if they were caught handing out literature outside of certain designated "free-speech zones." But even after they moved across the street from Navy Pier as directed, the police returned and told the Christians they could not stay in that area and then arrested them.
Repent America filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order. Consequently, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority -- the government agency that runs Navy Pier -- agreed to allow the Christian group to continue their activity there. However, Chicago attorney John Mauck says the arresting officers had made it clear, at least one of them in profane language, that Repent America's message was not welcome.
It is not unusual, Mauck notes, for evangelical ministry workers and other believing individuals to encounter this kind of response. "There's a level of antagonism among some people against the Christian message, that it's politically incorrect or somehow insulting," he says.
But the people from Repent America were not at Navy Pier to insult or harass homosexuals, the Christian attorney insists. "In fact," he adds, "these are folks that so love gays that they're willing to spend a significant amount of time and even go to jail so they can tell them that there's hope."
The Christians' lawyer believes it was because of this very message that the three ministry workers were targeted. The lawsuit he has filed on behalf of the arrested believers alleges that their free-speech rights were violated by the city and by the police officers.
The Repent America volunteers were singled out for harassment, Mauck contends, by officials who saw these young evangelists from out of town and said to themselves, "Well, we can push them around, and nobody's going to complain -- and we're not going to have to worry about offending the homosexual activists."
So that is exactly what the local authorities did to the Christians -- "they just pushed them around," the Chicago attorney contends. "And if it weren't for the lawsuit and the federal courts," he adds, "they wouldn't be preaching the gospel right now" without the threat of arrest.
Mauck says he plans to go forward with the lawsuit against the City of Chicago and the police officers who arrested the Repent America workers. The suit seeks a court order that would prevent the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority from confining the plaintiffs to free-speech zones in the future.
In Mark W. Smith's new book, Disrobed: The New Battle Plan to Break the Left's Stranglehold on the Courts, he advocates a radical new plan for conservatives to take back the courts. After working with Mark on the research for Disrobed, I spoke with him about the reaction the book has received from conservatives and whether they will embrace lawsuits as lawmaking and conservative judicial activism.
legal technicalities aside, I wonder how well "Repent America" would react if an organized gay group showed up at one of their events, and started passing out pro-gay literature and waving signs that were offensive to those who had come to enjoy an evangelical Christian event.
Maybe the Christians should resist arrest and celebrate the day they were arrested like the homosexuals did in several "famous" unlicensed gay bar raids in decades past.
-more on the ongoing culture war. In this case free speech premised in Constitutionally guaranteed religious practice versus free speech premised in promoting homosexual activity which is not a Constitutionally guaranteed public practice (really not a Constitutionally guaranteed private practice either -just one tolerated and given incidental shelter under the privacy penumbra invoked by the Lawrence decision).
In my opinion, what this case comes down to involves what the government can or can not legitimately do in its effort to maintain the peace when there are two competing interests -one which is premised in Constitutional guarantee and one which is not...
Looks like these folks are trying to get arrested. The whole situation sounds like a cut-and-paste job from their sortie in Philly, doesn't it?
-see my post# 5.
The homosexuals pass out such literature in schools.
Time was when what the homosexuals are doing itself was a crime. It was not made legal through the legislature. It was made legal by judicial decree.
The issue is not settled. For some it was settled when officers and district attorneys stopped enforcing the laws against homosexuality.
So it all comes down to selective enforcement. Arrest them if they violate laws that they can be arrested for. But don't forget ot have the civic funded parades later for those you arrest today.
It is the same group and the same message that they communicate all the time unless illegitimately arrested...
They probably would take it as an opportunity to witness to those gay groups the way of the Lord and explain to them that they too can change. Homosexuality is a choice.
So now the first amendment is a "legal technicality"?
As I said, it sure looks like they'r trying to fet arrested. Probably good for their business.
Who in this nation has the authority to create such a thing?
Why have they not been arrested and held without bail for civil rights violations?
Government plants usually do get away with things for which others are incarcerated.
Incidental to their business.
Sometimes people do get arrested for sticking their necks out for what they beleve is right and in this case what is objectively quite right.
Incidental to their business.
That I do not know -would assume not as it is not reported.
It would appear they are not so much concerned about seeking restitution for what happened as they are concerned about preventing it from happening again; e.g. "Mauck says he plans to go forward with the lawsuit against the City of Chicago and the police officers who arrested the Repent America workers. The suit seeks a court order that would prevent the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority from confining the plaintiffs to free-speech zones in the future."
Christians need to use more passive resistance, and let themselves go to jail for their faith. That way we can say the homosexuals are violating our basic human rights to free speech.
It would be an opportunity and the Christians would welcome it. Have to say that it would be much better to risk arrest and jail time than to stand in front of the Lord and try to explain why you did'nt take the time to evangelize to these public sinners
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.