Federal
Suit Filed Over Indianapolis Arrests
INDIANAPOLIS-
The SPF Counsel of Record filed suit Thursday, October 15, 2003
in Federal District Court over the May 24th arrests of four SPF
members in downtown Indianapolis (Link),
who were preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to approximately 300,000
people gathered at the Indy 500 parade. In the suit, SPF Chief Counsel,
Leonard Brown listed Mayor Bart Peterson, Lt. Michael J. O’Connor,
Officer Mark R. Rand and Officer C. A. White as defendants. SPF
Director Ron McRae, along with Assistant Director for the East Coast
James Grove and Senior Advisor Daniel Hardin announced the suit
in a news conference on the steps of the Federal District Court
in Indianapolis shortly after it was filed.
SPF Director McRae announces
Civil Rights Suit in front of Indianapolis Federal Courthouse
In
announcing the suit, Director McRae explained the suit as involving
every aspect of open air preaching, and how the police had increasingly
over stepped their authority, in restricting the preacher’s
attempts to display banners, utilize amplification devices smaller
than all those being used by others along the parade route, pass
out gospel literature, preach with their naked voices, hold up a
Bible, and finally just “say the name of Jesus Christ”.
Never one to compromise in any area, SPF Director McRae was continually
demanded of the police that day to stop certain aspects of their
ministration, and Director McRae had opted to oblige in order to
continue preaching. However, once at the Monument Circle, officers
stopped the SPF members from preaching, and ordered them to leave
the city or be arrested. At this final demand, Director McRae advised
the officers that they would absolutely refuse to do so, and that
they intended to take their stand right there. Having obeyed the
officers in each of their increasingly unconstitutional demands,
from giving up their banners, megaphones, and tracts, they would
go no further, but intended to stand at this location and talk to
people about Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world.
Locating on one corner of the intersection, beside a large bleacher
stand full of parade watchers, the preachers began holding up their
Bibles and talking in a normal tone of voice to every one passing
by, and standing nearby. It was at this point, according to the
suit, that Indianapolis Police Officer Mark Rand advised Director
McRae, “If you say the name of Jesus Christ one more time
on this sidewalk, I am going to arrest you and put in you in jail.”
Officer Rand also did a share of his own preaching at this location,
telling SPF member Daniel Gowen, “You can’t preach.
But I can preach!” And turning to the crowd, Officer Rand
stated loudly, “Jesus Christ is a false prophet. And the Old
Testament is a book of fables based upon the Jewish religion.”
The suit lists the Street Preachers’ Fellowship, Ron McRae,
Bruce Perrault, Daniel Gowen, and Stephen McRae as Plaintiffs. The
SPF Counsel of Record filed the suit in behalf of the Fellowship,
and the members involved in its goal to build National standing
for all the SPF members across the nation in Federal Civil litigation
that will have a far more reaching protection for every member by
listing the Fellowship as a Plaintiff in behalf of all the SPF members.
The reason for such, is that the standards set down by the SPF for
all its members are founded in the Bible, and deeply rooted in the
Constitution of the United States, and the Fellowship both trains
and requires that its members adhere to those standards in their
open air activities. Accordingly, for law enforcement personnel
to violate those rights and standards of one of our members, effects
all our members equally. In filing suit in behalf of the SPF, the
Fellowship’s Counsel of Record preserves any and all Court
Orders as protecting all members of the Fellowship equally, and
not just the individual preachers involved in a specific incident.
In the suit, the Fellowship’s Counsel of Record seeks Declaratory
Judgment, Injunctive Relief, Compensatory Damages and Attorney Fees.
SPF Director McRae stated after the filing, “This is the beginning
of great blessing to the Fellowship, in having our own attorney’s
as Counsel of Record, to effectively and professionally represent
each of our members as they go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. Len has done a great job on this, and
the SPF attorneys are actively working on five other case throughout
the United States, where members are having legal problems with
authorities who insist on violating the Constitutional Rights of
our members.” SPF members wishing to read and copy the Federal
Suit can do so on the Members Only Page, by clicking the "Indianapolis
Suit."
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