Lost Liberties: “Loud” Evangelists Arrested

3 CommentsLost Liberties

NH Christians arrested, asked: ‘Where is your God now?’

State law against ‘unreasonable or loud’ noise used to arrest Christians sharing gospel but not enforced against town-sponsored concerts

HAMPTON, N.H. — Alliance Defense Fund allied attorneys filed suit Wednesday in federal court on behalf of two Christians arrested for sharing their faith and singing worship songs on a public sidewalk in the Hampton Beach area. Police arrested the two men, charging them under a state law against “unreasonable or loud” noise, but the law has not been used against other much louder activities in the very busy beach district, including bands sponsored by the village precinct to increase business in the area. —From the Alliance Defense Fund, Oct 8, 2009

Comments (3)

  2. Paul Latour

    Reply

    Its kind of like the bylaws that regulate the Byward Market here in Ottawa, one of my favorite fishing spots. If you are an street entertainer, you can stand on the pre-marked street corner and sing and wail away with screaming electric guitar riffs hooked up to amps and speakers at loud volume.

    But if you are there just to stand on a soap box and vocalize whatever it is you want to say, you are not allowed to use a microphone or speakers. That is, until after 6pm, then its OK.

    Golly-gee-shucks…I wonder why.

  3. Dale in tx

    Reply

    I have viewed several youtube videos of police with “citizen’s arrests” and shutting down OA. I saw a couple that was simply a man who “filed a citizen’s arrest” because he was “offended” by what was said. The evangelists had to stop and would be summoned to court to make their case. It could be thrown out or fines issued for “disturbing the peace”. One evangelist a responded with something like, “if I say something that merely offends someone by my free speech then I am disturbing the peace?” and the response was “that’s right.”

    So, basically, all you have to do is offend someone with your free expression of speech and now you can be arrested and fined. If that is not lost liberty, I cannot imagine anything else it could be.

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