Posted on 05/12/2017 11:06:22 AM PDT by Morgana
Since Mother’s Day of 2004, a First Amendment religious display of wooden crosses representing the deaths of aborted children has been faithfully displayed each day during business hours outside a Wichita abortion facility. Over the years, the display withstood numerous attacks – both physical and legal.
On April 28, 2017, that all changed.
That’s when the City of Wichita began enforcing a new sign ordinance that prohibits stand-alone signage on the public right of ways.
Mark Gietzen, Chairman of the Kansas Coalition for Life, owns the cross display along with other pro-life signs that have been regularly displayed for years outside a building that first housed a late-term abortion facility and is now occupied by South Wind Women’s Center. In fact, Gietzen was even notified that the sign taped to his literature table that read “We can help you,” is now considered illegal.
Even the use of sidewalk chalk is now a crime in Wichita.
The only type of sign now legal is the hand-held type, which Gietzen says his members cannot use because they are busy handing out literature and speaking to women entering the abortion facility.
Gietzen sent a letter this week to Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell and the City Council asking that they reconsider the ordinance because it violates Supreme Court precedent, and hinders his group’s free exercise of their First Amendment rights as well as the rights of women to receive their message.
PRO-LIFE COLLEGE STUDENT? LifeNews is looking for summer interns interesting in writing, social media, or video creation. Contact us today.
Gietzen explained the importance of his displays:
KCFL Volunteers, assisted by their 1st Amendment signage, have saved the lives of more than 514 unborn babies who would otherwise have been put to death by abortion. The 514 associated mothers were simply given a choice, and were spared the grief and heartache of knowing that they killed their own child. Most of these now appreciative mothers, would not have known about the life-giving choices available to them, without seeing the KCFL signage located near the abortion facility.
Gietzen says his stand-alone displays are always attended, have never blocked vehicular or foot traffic, and were always completely picked up at the end of each business day.
Yet, there have been incidents with security guards stealing the signs and the city illegally confiscating them.
Last July, one of Gietzen’s nearly-blind volunteers was wrongly arrested after a clinic security guard attempted to steal a sign that the man had momentarily leaned against the literature table. A tussle over the sign ensued, which resulted in the man’s arrest.
“Also, during the past 13 years, NOT ONE City-of-Wichita sign-related complaint or citation has been issued, that stood up in court, even at the lowest levels of court,” wrote Gietzen.
Under the new ordinance, South Wind workers are free to impound pro-life signs outside the abortion business, increasing the chances that pro-life activists may be further bullied and attacked.
Gietzen hopes that the ordinance will be voluntarily rescinded by the city, but if it isn’t, he’s prepared to go to court to seek an injunction barring the city from enforcing their unconstitutional ordinance and infringing on the Constitutional Rights of his members.
Operation Rescue, which is based in Wichita, Kansas, stands ready to assist the Kansas Coalition for Life to restore right to display their their crosses and signage as they have for over a dozen years.
“The way the new sign ordinance is being implemented, it is obviously illegally targeting the pro-life activists and their audiences,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “The Wichita City Council must rescind the unconstitutional law that favors South Wind’s shoddy and exploitative abortion business above the First Amendment rights of its citizens.”
Take action!
Contact Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell and ask him to rescind the unconstitutional sign ordinance.
Voice: (316) 268-4331 E-Mail: JLongwell@wichita.gov
This was posted to the religion forum because not being allowed to carry crosses seems to be an attack on Christians in my opinion.
Don’t live in Kansas, don’t know this group is there a FReeper nearby who can give more info as to what is going on?
Either way they should be allowed to carry what they want if other religious groups can do so.
ake action!
Contact Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell and ask him to rescind the unconstitutional sign ordinance.
Voice: (316) 268-4331
E-Mail: JLongwell@wichita.gov
And you thought that you had free speech! You thought the city would protect your rights! Wrong!
The city knows that it’s political suicide to anger the fang-tooth feminazis! No. You must give them whatever they want, like abortion, or the money and votes are gone!
The simple answer is, they should prance around in zombie outfits with lots of skulls on sticks.
Okay, how a bout a fake aborted fetus hanging from a pair of forceps then? Parade that around to show support for abortion rights.
There, I fixed it.
What’s worse?
Low-information, pro-abortion city officials abridging constitutionally enumerated rights, 1st Amendment-protected freedoms of religious expression and speech in this example, or low-information citizens not arguing their 14th Amendment protections possibly because they have never heard about that amendment?
”14th Amendment, Section 1: All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States [emphasis added]; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Note that Acts 22:25-29 indicates that Paul claimed his protections as a Roman citizen so that he wouldn’t be flogged.
The co-exist signs are religious signs. Are they banned, too?
The people praying in front of the abortion clinic need to file a suit based on the freedom of speech being infringed upon by the city.
They can check with the Thomas More Society.
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.