Christian Arrested for Reading the Bible in Public - Caught on Video

Hemet, CA. On February 2, 2011, one assistant pastor and two elders from Calvary Chapel of Hemet, California, went to the Hemet DMV before it opened and one of the men started to read the Bible aloud. Less than thirty minutes later, he was arrested for "impeding an open business" under Penal Code Section 602.1(b). Shortly after the men arrived at the DMV and began to simply read the Bible out loud, a security guard approached Mark Mackey as he was reading the Bible and told him to stop. The men believed that they had a First Amendment right to free speech as they were standing in a planter within the parking lot and were located on public property. Further, they were not interfering with any business of the DMV and were not yelling or disturbing the peace.

About ten minutes later, a California Highway Patrolman approached Mr. Mackey as he read, took the Bible out of his hands, and arrested him. As the CHP officer was arresting him and putting him in his patrol car, the two men who were with him – Assistant Pastor of Calvary Chapel Hemet, Brett Coronado, and Ed Flores – asked the officer, “What law was he breaking?” Instead of identifying a legal violation, the officer asked, "Were you preaching too?" After continuing to ask the officer for the legal violation, Pastor Coronado and Ed Flores were also arrested by another CHP officer who had come to the DMV and were also cited for “impeding an open business.” Neither Pastor Coronado nor Mr. Flores ever read the Bible out loud anywhere on DMV premises.

The charge of “impeding an open business” was enacted in large part to protect businesses against protesters who block the doors of an open business. At the time of the arrest of these men, the DMV was closed, and they were standing at least fifty feet away from the entrance.

“This is an abuse of power on the part of the CHP,” said Jennifer Monk, Associate General Counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “The arresting officer could find no appropriate penal code to use when arresting these men. The purpose of the arrests appears to have been to censor them.”

After their arrests, these men were released, and the District Attorney has not at this time pursued any criminal charges. Prior to the arrest and during the arrest, Pastor Coronado and others videotaped the actions of the CHP, and a link to the edited footage can be found below. Advocates for Faith & Freedom has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of these three men for violation of their right to free speech and for unlawful arrest.

"Whether this was an intentional violation of our clients' constitutional liberty or whether this was an act of ignorance on the part of the CHP, this lawsuit is important in order to preserve the liberty to read the Bible aloud on public property without fear of criminal prosecution,” said Robert Tyler, General Counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom.

A copy of the complaint can be found here.

For an edited version of the video footage from this arrest, please click here.

A Supreme Court Win for Liberty

With our big government seemingly growing bigger all the time, we celebrate every victory that affords individuals personal freedom and liberties.

Just this week, the Supreme Court decided in favor of the individual and religious liberty.  In Arizona, state taxpayers had challenged a state program that allows tax credits to those who contribute to school tuition organizations (STOs), which provide scholarships to private and religious schools.  In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court found that these taxpayers had no standing, and that, essentially, individuals have the right to contribute their money to the organizations they want to help.  In the decision, Justice Kennedy explained:

“[C]ontributions result from the decisions of private taxpayers regarding their own funds.  Private citizens create private STOs; STOs choose beneficiary schools; and taxpayers then contribute to STOs.  While the State, at the outset, affords the opportunity to create and contribute to an STO, the tax credit system is implemented by private action and with no state intervention…”

We celebrate this victory of freedom and personal liberty, and we are proud to have written the brief on the issue where the case was won!

Another Student Takes a Stand Against Discrimination

Imagine your child is being discriminated against and embarrassed in class by her teacher, because of the teacher’s disdain for her Christian religion.  Would you allow this to go on?

A few weeks ago, we were approached by Heidi Oatis, whose daughter Tommi appeared to be suffering just this kind of discrimination from her seventh grade teacher in Union City, CA.

During her World History Class, Tommi stated that her teacher would frequently make derogatory statements about Christianity.  Here are some of the facts as reported by Tommi:

• During a class discussions, the teacher has referred to Christians as “zombie worshippers” and said it’s a very “bloody religion.”
• When speaking about Jesus’ crucifixion, she told her class that the Bible was false and rhetorically asked, “Why would anyone believe the Bible since it was written 2,000 years ago?”
• In another instance, the teacher held up a picture of someone drinking out of a “Blacks Only” water fountain and compared it to another picture relating to California’s Proposition 8 (the voter-backed initiative to define marriage as between one man and one woman).  As a young African-American, Tommi took offense to this comparison and said it was not fair to equate these two distinct issues.
• Tommi told her mother about these instances in class, among others, and Mrs. Oatis then met with the teacher. After that meeting, the teacher seemed to take out her frustration on Tommi, once walking by her desk, picking up her work, and then slamming it down on her desk, saying something to the effect of, “You think I’m picking on you?”
• Finally, Tommi and her mother met with the Vice Principal and this teacher.  Tommi was practically begging to be removed from this classroom, but the Vice Principal refused.

We are informed that this is not the first instance this teacher has received complaints about her antics and comments during class; we know of several other parents and students who have made complaints.  Still, nothing has been done to rectify the situation.

This month, we sent a demand letter to the Principal of the school and the Superintendent of the school district outlining these events.  We believe that this teacher is violating the Establishment Clause by taking a hostile stance against the Christian religion in her classroom.  We firmly believe that if teachers cannot promote Christianity in the classroom, they must not be free to display hostility towards Christianity, either.

Please keep Mrs. Oatis and her daughter Tommi in your prayers. They are courageous to take a stand on this situation that no one has seen fit to correct yet.  And, please continue to support Advocates with your prayers, as well.  We are waiting on a response from the school district, but if they do not immediately take action, we may have to take this case into litigation.

Planned Parenthood Shows Its True Colors in Undercover Sting

In a shocking undercover video released by Live Action this week, a Planned Parenthood clinic manager helps a supposed pimp and his prostitute (working undercover) with complications arising from their child sex trafficking business.

This clinic manager not only seems to be at ease with what is clearly being described as an illegal sex trafficking group involving underage children, but she also offers advice about how to cover up the young girls’ ages; which abortion clinic to go to so they will not be scrutinized; and how to receive a discount on contraception by claiming that the young girls are “students” – all to make everything look as legit as possible.  In one final sickening act, the manager advises on how young girls can still make money right after having an abortion (“Waist up, or just be that extra action walking by” to advertise sex to potential clients.)

This is despicable on its own, but the larger wrong is that Planned Parenthood receives over $300 million of our taxpayer money on a yearly basis!

Please spread this video to all of your friends and family so more people will be educated about the harm that this government-funded organization is doing.

View the video here: http://liveaction.org/traffick

Obamacare Ruled Unconstitutional

Last Monday, January 31, Judge Roger Vinson of the U.S. District Court in Florida ruled that President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – commonly referred to as Obamacare – is unconstitutional. According to the Judge, the individual mandate that all Americans must buy health insurance is invalid, and he stated, “Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional and not severable, the entire Act must be declared void."

This case involved state attorneys from a total of 26 states – over half of our country!  This decision proves that we the people still have a say in what is right for our country and that Congress cannot violate the principles of our Constitution.  Our Founding Fathers established the fact that big government is not better, and we citizens must have the freedom to direct our personal lives and matters.

This case will likely be taken to the U.S. Supreme Court, and we will stay tuned to see if this high court will uphold the Constitution and limit the overextending reach of Congressional power.

Putting “Christ” Back in “Christmas”

On Wednesday, January 12^th, members from the community of Elk Grove, CA, gathered at their City Council meeting to hear whether the City would stop using the term “holiday trees,” and instead call them what they are – “Christmas trees.”  The result?  A resounding yes to “Christmas,” and it all happened because of one concerned citizen.

Back in August 2010, Liz Stefanik received a flier referencing “holiday trees.”  Curious about what exactly a holiday tree was, she investigated further and found that the flier had come from the City and was, in fact, alluding to Christmas trees.  It seemed that for legal reasons, the City had decided to use a more generic term to refer to Christmas trees.  Liz attended the next City Council meeting six weeks later and asked if they could discuss why they were using generic terminology, but the Council said that they would have to go through the official process of putting this item of discussion on the agenda for the next meeting.

Finally, five months after she had initially heard of “holiday trees” in City communications, Liz had a chance to stand up for Christmas.  She had come prepared – she brought three of her friends to support the cause, and she called Advocates for Faith & Freedom to get a legal perspective on the issue. General Counsel Bob Tyler assured Liz that, legally, there is nothing wrong with the City referring to “Christmas trees.”  In fact, Bob assured her that if the City faced legal opposition for its reference to “Christmas,” Advocates would provide a legal defense for the City for free!

Armed with this knowledge and supporters at her side, Liz argued her case before the City Council on January 12^th. Immediately, the Council voted 5-0 in support of using the term “Christmas trees.

Liz was overwhelmed by the positive reaction from the Council, and she learned something valuable from this experience. “One person really can make a difference,” she stated.  All it took was her concern, investigation, and action to get this issue addressed and corrected.

Advocates was delighted to be part of this victory, in whatever small way possible.  We know that not all important cases are won after months or even years in a courtroom.  In cases like this, all we need to do is provide a legal perspective and be ready to act if religious intolerance persists.

If you ever hear of religious liberties being violated in your school, work, or community, remember that you can make an impact, and Advocates will be ready to respond!

Mt. Soledad Cross Declared Unconstitutional by Ninth Circuit

In yet another shocking decision from the Ninth Circuit court of Appeals, the court ruled that the Mt. Soledad cross, a San Diego monument to our Nation’s veterans and a poignant war memorial, is unconstitutional.  Advocates has submitted substantial briefing in support of the constitutionality of the war memorial, and will continue to do so should this decision be reconsidered by the United States Supreme Court!  With deep gratitude to those who have sacrificed the ultimate prince with their lives to defend our freedom, we are hopeful that the monument will continue to stand as a beacon of light and an expression of gratitude.  The Court’s preposterous interpretation of the First Amendment in this decision should not be permitted to stand.