by Jayla Ward • 2 minutes
Good news! We secured a win for Pastor Ronnie Holmes and Church of the Open Door.
This week, the city of Waco, Texas announced that it will no longer enforce a discriminatory policy that prevented our client from having religious conversations at a public park.
The city enacted a policy allowing event organizers to have law enforcement banish religious speech in public parks to a distant, tiny “free speech zone.”
We sent a demand letter explaining that this policy directly violates Pastor Ronnie’s right to free speech and religious expression.
“We are pleased that the City of Waco now recognizes that Free Speech cannot be banished to an isolated speech zone simply because event permit holders and attendees do not like the message being shared,” said First Liberty Senior Counsel Nate Kellum. “Pastor Ronnie Holmes and members of his church are grateful that their First Amendment rights have been upheld.”
Pastor Ronnie and four members of his church went to Brazos Park East. They wanted to peacefully start conversations about their Christian beliefs at the “Out on the Brazos” event held by the Waco Pride Network (WPN).
However, police officers arrived and forced the group to move to a speech zone marked by cones. Officers explained that WPN’s permit allowed them to remove “unwanted activity.”
Because the city will no longer implement the policy against our clients, Pastor Ronnie and members of his church can openly discuss their faith at the park without fear of censorship.
Thanks to your support, First Liberty can protect the rights of people like Pastor Ronnie, so that they can share their faith freely and impact their communities.
This win would not have been possible without you. Your support has helped us represent and protect Americans like Pastor Ronnie who simply want to exercise their constitutional rights and express their beliefs.
First Liberty Continues to Fight to Protect Religious Expression
First Liberty is fighting multiple cases right now involving cities that are unlawfully censoring religious speech.
In Brandon Mississippi, First Liberty client Gabriel Olivier is an evangelical Christian who wants to share his faith with others. So, he went to a nearby public park to have peaceful conversations with passersby during events.
However, the city passed an unconstitutional ordinance that prohibits Gabe from sharing his religious beliefs to others unless he moved to a designated “protest” zone, which made it impossible to be seen or heard.
Dissatisfied, Gabe didn’t stay in the designated zone and was unjustly arrested. Gabe challenged the local ordinance in federal court. But the court dismissed his constitutional claim, without even considering the merits of it.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Gabe’s case. This case impacts the civil rights of virtually every person in the country. It presents a tremendous opportunity to strengthen protections for religious liberty, free speech and Americans’ right to have their day in court.
We’re also fighting for Ernest Giardino. The Town of Chapin, South Carolina says he must have a “demonstration permit” in order to share his faith on a public sidewalk. We sent a letter to local official explaining that this violates Ernie’s constitutional rights by placing arbitrary and onerous burdens on his peaceful and non-obstructive religious expression.
Zachary Hebb, a Christian pro-life advocate in Asheville, North Carolina wanted to share his faith and provide alternatives to abortion with those seeking to terminate their pregnancy.
But the city passed an ordinance that silences Zachary’s free speech. First Liberty argued the case in federal appeals court, and we’re awaiting a decision.
Each of these cases is an opportunity to deliver freedom for our clients and also for millions of Americans. Join First Liberty as we continue to fight these crucial legal battles.
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