A Texas-based street preacher who attorneys say was threatened with arrest for his evangelism outreach at a Fort Worth pride event is suing the police department.
David Grisham, a longtime evangelist, was cited by Fort Worth police in an incident captured on video at the Trinity Pride Fest in downtown Fort Worth on June 27. The now-viral video showed an unidentified female police officer threatening to arrest Grisham and another member of a street preaching team during the public event.
As the street preaching group continued to question police about the warning while they were moved to an area outside police barricades, the unidentified officer is heard telling them, “If someone is offended by your talking, then we have a problem. ... If they are offended by your speech, OK, I will write you a ticket, and we’ll go from there.”
Grisham was ultimately issued a citation for “unreasonable noise,” but no further explanation was provided. The city of Fort Worth website states that its “unreasonable noise” ordinance is “intended to apply to, but is not limited to” noise linked to animals or construction work.
In a statement shared Thursday, attorney CJ Grisham said the claim made by an unidentified Fort Worth police officer about “unreasonable noise” was “indefensible” because the city’s noise ordinance requires that officers must first measure the challenged noise using a decibel meter.
“This ordinance was not followed because no officer performed a decibel check,” said Grisham, who said he has no known familial or professional relation to the plaintiff. “Officers failed to follow the Fort Worth ordinance.”
Grisham further argued the city of Fort Worth’s noise ordinance is unlawful because it contradicts state law by making the city’s decibel level limit lower than the state’s.
“Mr. Grisham was exercising his right to express his views on matters of significant public concern. The Fort Worth Police Department responded, not by protecting his constitutional rights, but by threatening him with arrest and ultimately issuing a citation,” he said, adding the city must “immediately dismiss the citation and retract any related enforcement action.”
Street evangelist to sue Texas city after arrest threat | U.S.
No comments:
Post a Comment