A group of pastors is suing the city of Chicago for the “unconstitutional arrests” of Christian street pastors. The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Brett Raio and his two friends, Reetik and Perez, who the organisation said were wrongfully arrested for sharing the Gospel in public.
Raio was arrested and charged with preaching in a public space near Millennium Park. His case was dismissed before going to trial after the ACLJ said it presented video evidence that proved his innocence. Days later, Chicago police arrested Reetik and Perez at the same location for the “same baseless charges", the ACLJ claims.
“This is no coincidence,” the organisation said in a statement. “It is a deliberate effort to silence religious expression.”
The ACLJ claims Chicago has recently adopted what it deems an unconstitutional policy of targeting and arresting street pastors who use amplification, regardless of whether the pastors actually violate any noise ordinance.
Chicago law requires permits for amplification that is louder than the average conversational level at a distance of 100 feet or more, measured vertically or horizontally, from the source. Violations of these sound regulations can result in arrest and fines ranging from $400 to $5,000.
According to the ACLJ, Chicago police aren’t taking “any measures” to determine if the speech actually violates city noise ordinances.
“They are just pulling up in their squad cars and immediately arresting the preachers,” the ACLJ said. “This has all the markings of unconstitutional targeting of preachers, displaying an unlawful anti-Christian animus.”
With Tuesday’s lawsuit, the ACLJ argues that the city of Chicago and its police violated the constitutional rights of Raio, Reetik, and Perez by unlawfully silencing their speech, targeting them for their religious message, and infringing on their fundamental freedoms.
“The civil rights lawsuit seeks damages for the harm they suffered and emotional distress from being unlawfully arrested and having their First Amendment rights violated,” the ACLJ said in a statement. “It also argues that Chicago’s policy violates Illinois’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a significant burden on our clients’ religious exercise.”