by Jayla Ward • 4 minutes
Why does it seem as though American cities have become comfortable with censoring religious expression in public areas? There is a trend of cities and local officials increasingly targeting individuals and groups who share their faith.
Last month, Mayday USA—a grassroots Christian movement focused on taking the Gospel to the streets of America—went to Seattle, Washington to worship and pray at a local public park.
But Antifa and other radical groups interrupted the peaceful gathering and violently attacked the group. The counter-protesters began to throw items at the crowd of participants, knocking over fencing and even assaulting police officers. The police arrested 23 people, forcing the event to end early.
After the altercation, Seattle’s Mayor released a statement accusing Mayday of being anarchists and antagonists, blaming them for the “inspired violence, prompting SPD to make arrests.”
“Today’s far-right rally was held here for this very reason,” the Mayor said. “To provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city’s values, in the heart of Seattle’s most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood.”
However, Mayday submitted its permit application to host their event at Pike Place Park. Instead of approving their original request, it was the city that relocated Mayday’s event to Cal Anderson Park, which is “named after Washington State’s first openly gay State Legislator,” according to its website.
Religious leaders, groups and communities in Seattle and across the country are demanding that the mayor retract his statement and publicly apologize for defaming the organization.
International Christian Concern, ICC, an NGO that advocates for persecuted Christians, criticized the Mayor’s rhetoric as misleading and dangerous, warning it could set a precedent where lawful public worship is vilified and criminal aggression excused.
“This baseless scapegoating is a direct assault on the First Amendment and a betrayal of America’s commitment to religious liberty,” ICC said.
First Liberty Fights to Protect Religious Expression
This is far from the first time a city has openly censored, slandered or singled out religious expression in the public arena. First Liberty is fighting multiple cases right now involving cities that are unlawfully muzzling 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.
First Liberty asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case, arguing that Americans who have their constitutional rights violated should be able to have their day in court.
We also sent a demand letter recently to the City of Waco, Texas on behalf of Pastor Ronnie Holmes. Pastor Ronnie and four members his church went to Brazos Park East, which is owned by the city. They wanted to peacefully share their faith through conversation at the “Out on the Brazos” event held by the Waco Pride Network (WPN).
Police officers arrived and forced the group to move to a speech zone marked by cones. Officers explaned that WPN’s permit allowed them to remove “unwanted activity.”
Our legal team explained to city officials that this policy directly violates Pastor Ronnie’s right to free speech and religious expression in a public park.
“The city of Waco is facilitating religious censorship. That’s wrong, and it’s illegal,” said First Liberty Senior Counsel Nate Kellum. Our letter demands the city to no longer enforce its policy that empowers them to banish religious speech at the discretion of an event organizer.
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 ths violates Ernie’s constitutional rights by placing arbitrary and onerous burdens on his peaceful and non-obstructive religious expression.
While these cases are ongoing, First Liberty has secured important victories for people of faith to express their beliefs in the public square.
We secured a win for Gail Blair, a blind woman in her 60s, who was banned from a park because she simply wanted to share her faith on a public sidewalk. That win was not only significant for Gail but impacts ALL Americans who want to share their faith without threat of retaliation.
Government officials shouldn’t suppress religious speech. It is wrong and unconstitutional.
Instead of defaming groups who exercise their right to free speech and religious expression, they must follow the law and respect the First Amendment rights of religious Americans. No one in our country should be attacked for sharing their faith and worshipping on a public sidewalk or park.
Opponents of religious freedom are doubling down to stop Americans from sharing their faith in public. That’s why First Liberty needs your support. With your help, we can win for our clients and ensure that everyone can express their beliefs in the public square.
Please give to First Liberty today.
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