Last month I wrote about Damon Atkins and the Scranton Police. To refresh everyone’s memory … from the Epoch Times:
On 6/3/23 a street preacher was arrested by police shortly after arriving at a June 3 LGBT pride event sponsored by the city of Reading, Pennsylvania.
The group Reading Pride Celebration partnered with the city for a ceremonial raising of the rainbow flag at Reading City Hall for the start of LGBT pride month, followed by a short parade to a park where there was a rainbow pride celebration with speakers and free food.
Across the street, a handful of people gathered to protest the event, none with loudspeakers. Police stood in the street between the groups.
Damon Atkins 41, arrived at the event carrying a sign with a slogan that showed his opposition to the event, police said in the criminal complaint describing the arrest.
The offending two-sided sign had Bible verses. On one side it said, “Jesus said go and sin no more,” and the other side said, “Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life.”
The officer approached Mr. Atkins and told him to be respectful and to “let them have their day,” referring to the LGBT pride gathering.
“Oh, I’m respecting,” Mr. Atkins said in the video. “You know who is cheering for us? The people that are in hell. So, you do you, and I’ll do me. This is public property.”
The officer turned his back and walked a few steps into the street. Mr. Atkins raised his voice and got out part of a sentence.
“Yo. God is not—,” Mr. Atkins began saying, but the officer turned back to Mr. Atkins, put him in handcuffs, and had him transported to a police processing center where he spent a few hours in police custody.
The Berks County District Attorney’s office withdrew the charges four days after the arrest citing insufficient evidence and prosecutorial discretion.
Well, to no intelligent person’s surprise, Damon Atkins is suing the police, the city, and Reading Mayor Eddie Moran, whose comment was some namby-pamby comment basically saying that Damon Atkins does not have any First Amendment rights as he was trying to disrupt an organized event.
Joel Ready, Damon Atkins attorney said the following,
“That should disturb any American, that the police can come and say, because your message is unpopular, we’re going to—in front of a crowd—declare on behalf of the government of the city in which you live, that your words are not welcome here, that your particular viewpoint is wrong. And that is what I think is particularly chilling.”
Was Damon Atkins being courteous? … No.
Was Damon Atkins within his First Amendment Constitutional right to free speech? … In my mind, yes.
My prediction here … Scranton, etc. will settle, as this is the only way for them to get away relatively cheap.
I hope to follow-up on this as it moves forward.
7/27/23
californiacontrarian