Sunday, May 31, 2020
Portland Settles Free Speech Lawsuit With Preacher
Preacher Mark Mayberry was the sole plaintiff in a lawsuit filed last October, which alleges he was unjustly kicked out of Tom McCall Waterfront Park for preaching anti-abortion rhetoric.
Hacke, an attorney with the Pacific Justice Institute, which specializes in cases related to religious freedom, filed a suit challenging the orders of a lone Portland park ranger.
According to the complaint, Mayberry, a Christian evangelist and anti-abortion activist, was preaching at Portland’s Waterfront Park last June with an anti-abortion sign and passing out gospel tracts. The views expressed, according to the filing, were “undoubtedly controversial to some,” but his conduct was “civil, peaceful, and by no means incendiary.”
An officer with the city’s park bureau ordered Mayberry to leave. He refused.
The officer issued him a citation that dictated he couldn’t return to the park for a month, according to the filings. In the lawsuit, Mayberry alleged the action violated his freedom of speech and religion and sought more than $307,000 in damages.
During a vote on the settlement agreement this Wednesday, Randy Stenquist, the city’s general and fleet liability manager, told the council the city believes Mayberry’s rights were violated, as a previous injunction issued by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals specifically allowed evangelical Christian preachers to espouse their views at Waterfront Park. The council unanimously voted to pay the $50,000.
SOURCE
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I think that all religion is ridiculous, but I strongly support the right of people to live their religion as long as they do not try to push it onto others who do not want.
Time for them to learn the real meaning of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion these liberal stuffed shirts seem to think the U.S. Constitution is for them only
Post a Comment