America is far from a hotbed of Christian persecution, with that unfortunate distinctive mostly belonging to Islamic and communist countries.
But some left-wing American cities are cracking down on the Christian faith more fervently in recent years.
According to a new lawsuit from the American Center for Law and Justice, Chicago recently detained three Christian street preachers — all of whom were “wrongfully arrested for nothing more than sharing the Gospel in public.”
The legal advocacy group said in a March 14 release that street preacher Brett Raio was arrested and charged for sharing the gospel in Millennium Park.
Although his case was dismissed before trial — with the ACLJ showing video evidence that exonerated him — his two friends, Reetik and Perez, were soon arrested at the same spot.
Beyond getting slapped with spurious charges, the three friends were held in jail for more than seven hours.
“This is no coincidence. It is a deliberate effort to silence religious expression,” the ACLJ said.
Chicago law “only requires permits for amplification that exceeds conversational levels at 100 feet away,” meaning that preachers are allowed to use it as long as they follow the rules.
But police are simply arresting any preacher who uses amplification at all, according to the ACLJ.
“They are not taking any measures to determine if the speech actually violates the noise ordinance; they are just pulling up in their squad cars and immediately arresting the preachers,” the group said.
“This has all the markings of unconstitutional targeting of preachers, displaying an unlawful anti-Christian animus. And with today’s lawsuit, we are taking major legal action to fight back.”
The lawsuit accused the city of Chicago and its law enforcement apparatus of violating the constitutional rights of the three Christians.
Their fundamental freedoms were infringed upon when they were targeted “for their religious message” and unlawfully silenced, the ACLJ contended.
The lawsuit also argued that the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act was violated, with the Chicago noise policy marking “a significant burden on our clients’ religious exercise.”
“Unfortunately, we know that this policy in Chicago goes well beyond these incidents and is part of a far-reaching policy at one of the busiest public sites in the city,” the ACLJ said.
“Free speech is not a privilege granted by the government — it is a God-given right enshrined in our Constitution.”
The ACLJ warned that Chicago officials are not allowed to use regulations as a pretense for religious discrimination — vowing to keep the gospel airwaves open in the Windy City.
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