RICHMOND, Va. — Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney Steve Taylor filed a lawsuit Friday against the city of Richmond on behalf of five Christian men threatened with arrest for sharing their faith on public property and at public events. The suit alleges that police officers with the city violated the men’s First Amendment rights by demanding that they stop their “disturbing” and “offending” religious expression, which consisted of peacefully preaching to small groups, one-on-one witnessing, and handing out tracts.
“Christians shouldn’t be threatened with arrest and silenced for expressing their beliefs at public events and on public property,” said ADF-allied attorney Steve Taylor, of Chesapeake. “Denying Christians their free speech rights, protected by the First Amendment, is a practice that the city of Richmond should put to an end. Americans have the right to peacefully share their faith in public areas without being shackled by vague or overly broad ordinances. The Constitution does not allow anyone to be silenced simply because other people don’t like the content of the message being spoken.”
Over the past two years, Virginia residents James Lee Craft, Matthew Ray, Ryan Walker, Rob Baird, and Nathan P. Magnusen were threatened with arrest while sharing the Gospel at different locations by Richmond police officers. Whether on public sidewalks or at public city events--such as the city’s annual UKrops Supervalu Christmas Parade or its Watermelon Festival--officers demanded that the men cease their religious expression or move to other locations. In some situations, officers attempted to enforce the city’s vague noise ordinance and trespassing ordinance to get them to end their religious expression.
Even though the men’s religious expression was conducted in a peaceful fashion, officers on a number of occasions insisted that their constitutionally protected activities were “offending” and “disturbing” crowds. The lawsuit argues that the noise ordinance, as well as Richmond’s trespassing ordinance, were illegally enforced against the Christian men--and not enforced against other members of the public engaging in expression--because of the religious nature of the message the men were communicating.
Taylor filed the lawsuit Craft v. City of Richmond with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division. Along with ADF, Christian Rights Ministries assisted with funding of the case.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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