Pastor Forced to Foot Bill for 'Police Protection' During Pro-Family Rally

[kweerwolf]

A pro-family activist says it's outrageous that a pastor was charged thousands of dollars for a police detail to protect those attending a Christian event from homosexual activists who were demonstrating outside.

Last month Tom Crouse, a pastor in Worcester, Massachusetts, held a pro-family, Christian event that focused on God's design of heterosexuality and featured a "Mr. Heterosexual" contest. However, various homosexual groups attempted to force the event to be cancelled. When those efforts failed, about 100 pro-homosexual activists congregated in the streets outside the facility where the event was held.

But prior to allowing the Christian rally to take place in historic Mechanics Hall, local law enforcement authorities demanded that Crouse pay $6,200 up front to cover the costs for a police detail, equipment that would be used to search the attendees, and training for staff to operate the equipment. In contrast, according to a Massachusetts-based pro-family group, on the evening of the rally, police permitted the pro-homosexual demonstrators -- who had announced their intentions days beforehand -- to protest without a permit, blocked traffic to allow the demonstration, and did not charge the demonstrators any money for a police detail.

The group Article 8 Alliance reports that those entering the rally in Mechanics Hall were subjected to "airport-style security searches and other things which no other event at that hall ever requires." Also featured during the event was Jonathan Owens, a 22-year-old former homosexual who shared his testimony how a relationship with Jesus Christ had led out of that lifestyle.

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/afa/72006f.asp

Waaaah! Waaaaah! Big friggin' CCC's*


*Crybaby closet cases

[ugarte]

1. What the hell is a 'pro-family' activist?

I'm sick of this right-wing vocabulary. I don't know anyone who is anti-family.

[progdonkey]

5. it's from Agape Press...

Considering how much the AFA hates Jews, Muslims, gays, etc., referring to a bunch of bigots as "pro-family" is just par for the course.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

2. at first read, I thought.... what!?!? but now with context...

I say...

RIGHT ON.

This is a church. Tax dollars should not be spent on their foolish desire for security.

[MuseRider]

3. Well tooooooo bad.

Now they know how we feel having to pay for police protection for the Phelps group every damned day.

Ya know, if y'all were not so violent they wouldn't need to protect those peaceful Christians minding their own business. :hug:

Waaaaaaah!

[dsc]

4. I can very easily see this being used against us

in most places in the country. The police has a job of protecting people and should be doing it without charging people for doing so.

[msongs]

6. searching attendees with special equipment? not for police ->

police form a line out front and look for trouble.

hired security guards are needed to be hired by the church gang for special equipment to search attendees.

what kind of attendees are these anyway that need to be searched?

Msongs
www.msongs.com/democratsmugs.htm

[dsc]

8. I am presuming the searing was due to fear of

people infultrating the meeting.

[redphish]

7. It's not unusual for cities to charge for the cost of....

law enforcement related costs at events expected to cause counter-demon stations. It's also not unusual for Churches to whine when they have to pay for the same stuff as every one else.

[xchrom]

9. counter-demon stations! lol

that was very good!

[Kerrytravelers]

11. I've been to rallies that had to pay for extra police. This isn't unusual.

They are just wording it in such a way to look victimized. How pathetic. :eyes:

[Xeric]

10. It was a paid event

Left unsaid in the article by the AFA bigots was the fact that this was a paying event (12 bucks to get in). If the "Pastor", who is known for his anti-Catholic and anti-Muslim hate speech as well as his anti-gay bigotry had gotten more than 200 fellow bigots to show up, the event would have been able to pay for itself. Any private event would have had to pay for security.
The whole farcical thing was pathetic. The "Mr. Hetero" contest included blind tasting of potato chips, and T-shirts were on sale that said "100% Hetero" and “Designed by God.” (proof that God's design isn't necessarily intelligent).
The good thing was that the town itself was vocal in its opposition to the spirit of the event but accepted that the bigots had a right to free speech:
"Mayor Timothy P. Murray said the city he knows respects diversity, but also free speech. At the same time, “we must also vigorously exercise our own right to speak out and speak up and say we don’t condone or support events which unfairly and unjustly target a group of people because of their sexual orientation,” the statement said."

So really the bigots are crying because the thing was a flop and they got stuck with the bill. Tee hee, boo hoo.

More at:
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060219/NEWS/602190523/1008/NEWS02

[Kerrytravelers]

12. Tee hee, boo hoo.

[Kerrytravelers]

13. Oh, and welcome to DU!