Can the police arrest a peaceful Christian protester at a city sanctioned Pride event
just because he expressed criticism of the pride event or because he preached from the
sidewalk this video comes from Reading Pennsylvania and shows exactly that happening looks like
some more men just showed up to support us this cop's going to give him a hard
time
[Applause]
so you do you and I'm gonna do me this is public property yo God
[Applause] [Music]
celebration
God bless you brother [Music]
this police officer somehow got the mistaken impression that he gets to arrest somebody
for disorderly conduct just for expressing religious opposition on a socially significant
issue I mean what is this communist China freedom of speech is supposed to be uncomfortable
and even stir people to anger that's the point [Music]
here we are in reading I came out I got to preach for about 12 minutes before a cop got
in my face laid hands on me and threatened to arrest me if I didn't stop our own mayor
and morion is out here and yeah no this is the type of insanity but yeah that's what
we got this is what they're doing in Reading City Tyrant cops threatening older men and
myself are standing out here you got oh just everything you can imagine these cops over
here these guys are tyrants that man threatened me laid hands on me but by the grace of God
I could preach for about 10 minutes or so like I said before he did that so the gospel
went out the law went out the gospel went out looks like some more men just showed up
to support us this cop's gonna give him a hard
time so
[Applause]
you do you and I'm gonna do Meg this is public property yo
[Applause]
and they're clapping Brothers man
I cannot believe I'm watching this
morning
[Applause] [Music] [Laughter]
God bless you brother [Music] [Applause]
making history with us today as we celebrate the first this is an unjust arrest we have
it on film [Applause] s [Music] [Applause]
[Music]
in trouble since most speech is protected under the First Amendment if the city of reading
arrested this man in response to his speech the city can only justify that arrest under
the Constitution by showing that the man's speech falls into some narrow category of
speech that has been declared by the Supreme Court as not worthy of protection such as
speech that is lewd and obscene profane libelous and insulting or fighting words or if the
city can show that the Restriction of the man's speech is necessary to serve some compelling
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the channel by supporting our sponsor the ridge wallet the issue has been addressed
many times in the similar context of anti-abortion signs which tend to be much more disruptive
graphic and inflammatory than the speech contained in this video in those other cases the courts
have held that no matter how gruesome the anti-abortion signs are no matter how objectionable
that they cannot be considered fighting words and Unworthy of constitutional protection
such speech whether the police agree with it or not is certainly not of slight social
value rather such speech such as this commentary on a is on a societal debate that divides
many Americans furthermore this sort of speech is not directed at any single person it commented
on a highly significant social issue and was calculated to challenge people to unsettle
them and even to anger them such social commentary is not only protected under Supreme Court
precedent but is also highly valued in the marketplace of ideas in our free Society according
to the federal courts the Supreme Court has said that a function of free speech under
our system of government is to invite dispute it may indeed best serve its high purpose
when it induces a condition of unrest creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are
or even stirs people to anger speech is often provocative and challenging it may strike
it prejudices and preconceptions and have profound unsettling effects as it presses
for acceptance of an idea again that is from the U.S Supreme Court the sixth circuit has
stated that the purpose of the first amendment is to encourage discussion and it is intended
to protect the expression of unpopular as well as popular ideas accordingly hostile
public reaction does not forfeit the Constitutional protections that are afforded to the speaker's
message so long as the speaker doesn't go beyond mere persuasion in advocacy of ideas
and attempts to incite a riot remember the fourth amendment requires probable cause for
the police to effectuate a warrantless arrest I obtained a copy of the actual probable cause
affidavit basically the police report from this case where the arresting officer is setting
forth his claim of probable cause to the courts for why he arrested this guy this affidavit
admits that the arrestee was a protester he claims that he told the man that he had to
stay on the opposite side of the street and that he could not be disruptive the affidavit
admits that the arrestee was carrying a sign with a slogan written on it that showed his
opposition to this event he further claimed that the arrestee began to yell at the people
at the event the officer further wrote that he told the man that he could stand there
and hold his sign but that he but that he could not cross the street nor yell comments
intended to disrupt the event then less than a minute later he wrote The Man resumed yelling
derogatory comments to the people at the event he arrested him for disorderly conduct but
let's look at the footage again the affidavit claims that the man began to yell at people
to yell derogatory comments and that he gave him a warning and told him not to do that
but the video looks to me to show otherwise looks like some more men just showed up to
support us this cop's going to give them a hard time [Music]
[Applause]
and I'm gonna do me this is public property yeah
the guy recording the video says that this guy
had just shown up the footage does not show him yelling at all but just holding the sign
in fact the first time that the guy yelled anything he just said God it sound sounded
like and then he got arrested he wasn't engaging with any single individual causing some sort
of individual disruption or fight he merely mentioned God he said nothing obscene he was
expressing his First Amendment right to practice his religion and express protected religious
speech he caused no disturbance he only got out basically a single word whereas on the
other side of the road you can hear that they have bull horns over there and they're making
a lot of noise surely this wasn't a case of some quiet solemn event like a funeral or
something being invaded and disrupted there literally was no disruption that was caused
by this man rather a police officer decided that he did not like the substance of this
man's concert tuitionally protected speech and performed the warrantless arrest in the
absence of probable cause thereby violating both the First Amendment and the Fourth Amendment
so thanks for watching please subscribe this ought to put us over the 300 000 subscriber
mark thank you freedom is scary deal with it I will see you next time
[Music]