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Watch this video and ask yourself whether this street preacher was a trouble-maker or merely exercising his right to freedom of speech.
You’ll watch him being arrested for reading aloud from Romans 1 outside of the Department of Motor Vehicles in Hemet, California.
Attorney Jennifer Monk, associate general counsel with a group called Advocates for Faith and Freedom, filed the suit April 25 in U.S. District Court, alleging free speech violations and unlawful arrest. She’s representing the man who was arrested – Mark Mackey, a member of Calvary Chapel in Hemet.
The other two plaintiffs, assistant Pastor Brett Coronado and Ed Flores Jr., were later arrested after asking what laws were broken to merit Mackey’s arrest.
According to the 13-page complaint, the trio began sharing the gospel at 8:10 a.m. nearly an hour before the DMV opened. The audience was people waiting in line for the office to open.
All three were taken to the CHP offices where they were handcuffed to a table for about 90 minutes. They were cited for “impeding an open business,” although the facility was not open and the men were never closer than 50 feet of any entrance. A spokesman for the Hemet office told a local newspaper that the church members had been warned in the past that they needed a permit to preach on state property.
“This is an abuse of power on the part of the CHP,” Monk said. “The arresting officer could find no appropriate penal code to use when arresting these men. The purpose of the arrests appears to have been to censor them.”
At the time of the lawsuit’s filing, the district attorney’s office had yet to pursue any charges against the men.
“It’s unbelievable that something like this could happen in America today,” says Coronado.
“Whether this was an intentional violation of our clients’ constitutional liberty or whether this was an act of ignorance on the part of the CHP, this lawsuit is important in order to preserve the liberty to read the Bible aloud on public property without fear of criminal prosecution,” said Jennifer Monk.
So, the question is: If the U.S. Supreme Court says that the obnoxious Westboro Baptist Church has the right to defile the funerals of America’s fallen soldiers, how can a little church in southern California be denied their right to read aloud from Romans 1 to Department of Motor Vehicles customers waiting for bureaucrats to open their office?
posted May 9, 2011 at 8:15 am
And yet we as Christians have to listen to swearing, cussing, who slept with who and other offensive remarks when we stand in lines like this and that’s OKAY. I’s so sad, really. Revelations is so accurate where it says there will come a day when right will be wrong and wrong will be right – we are there (in fact we’ve probably been there for awhile). So much of the world’s population have turned their backs on God, no wonder we are facing so many “Natural” disasters. I mean, really, can you blame Him for the
the things that are occurring now? One pastor I know said it best “If I were God, we’d all be gone by now” I agree with Sheila. Are we going to end up having to honor God in secret places? Or are we willing to end up in prison like Paul and like this man who tried to spread the gospel in Hemet?
posted May 9, 2011 at 8:45 am
I am a church going Christian but i don’t think i would be comfortable standing in line being preached at. i think the assumption here is that they are all heathens and won’t hear the word any other way.
There has got to be a better way to reach people than this.
posted May 9, 2011 at 8:52 am
First of all I would not want be that CHP officer or security officer. He is wrong and needs to repremended. Bad for this country if not persued in a court of law. Thanks
posted May 9, 2011 at 9:23 am
I agree this country has a problem with religion but I also know that this is a government building they were infront of.they also broke the rights of others,they assume that the people there was willing.some time we need to think of others before we force our beliefs on them.we assume that everyone is in agreement with us.
posted May 9, 2011 at 9:28 am
Muslims by the hundreds can block streets in New York and London as they pray toward Mecca and they are not touched by the law. One man reading the Bible in CA is strong-armed away in the CHP cruiser. Is this the ACLU at work. It is the devil at work through these people. The ACLU is a bunch of tired, old, obnoxious rich jewish attorneys that think they can bend our laws as they wish. Please support these people that are standing up for our freedoms. This is another of the many signs that we are into the “last days”.
posted May 9, 2011 at 9:55 am
thats a shame!!!!!!
posted May 9, 2011 at 10:33 am
More of what is wrong in America. We have turned our backs on God. Shame on all of us, how did we get here?
posted May 9, 2011 at 10:45 am
Sounds to me from the choice of text that he was busy rattling the brains of potential drivers and many who might have been doing their behind the wheel tests. It was a really stupid and UNGODLY thing to do to people who were going to have to drive away from the DMV WITH OR WITHOUT drivers licenses.
God did not send your church there to disrupt people concentrating on the necessities of rendering unto Caesar — in this case demonstrating their knowledge of the vehicle code in the state of California. The devil made you do it.
It probably WAS a violation of your constitutional rights to arrest you. One of the great things about this nation is that even the devil has constitutional rights under our law.
BUT AS CHRISTIANS SHAME ON YOU FOR DISRUPTING A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR SECULAR SAFETY. If anybody is injured in any accident brought on by someone without a license because you rattled them with your preaching that day, it is on YOU for your sinful behavior.
posted May 9, 2011 at 10:58 am
This is just discusting..
There is so much evil and Satan is the ruler of this world and he is hard at work.. Christ Name and his Word needs to be proclaimed to those whom don’t know it..As long as it is done peacefully… The Bible says that this type thing will happen more and more in the last days before the Second coming of our beloved Christ and I believe that the time is near and the way this world is going now..come quickly Lord Jesus…
posted May 9, 2011 at 11:48 am
I thank that they where wrong to arrest the men they where’nt hurting anybody.