ADF attorney available to media following trial of arrested Christians
Four Christians arrested in 2007 for sharing faith in New York public parkWHO: ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster
WHAT: Available for media questions after trial in People of the State of New York v. Raven
WHEN: Immediately following trial, which begins at 1 p.m. EST, Friday, Feb. 29
WHERE: Elmira City Court, 317 E. Church St., Elmira, N.Y.
ELMIRA, N.Y. — Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster will be available for media interviews following Friday’s trial in People of the State of New York v. Raven. In 2007, four Christians were arrested for praying silently in a public park during a “Gay Pride” event.
“Christians shouldn’t be penalized for expressing their religious beliefs,” said Oster. “Choosing to exercise your First Amendment rights in a public place is not a crime. The government has no right to arrest citizens for exercising their First Amendment rights in public.”
In 2007, Julian and Gloria Raven and two others entered Wisner Park to silently pray for the participants of an event celebrating homosexual behavior. Materials advertising the event noted that all were invited and that it was open to the public. The group did not draw a disorderly response from event participants.
A police sergeant told Mr. Raven that he and the three others with him were not allowed to “cross the street, enter the park, or share their religion with anyone in the park.” The four were later arrested and charged with “disorderly conduct.”
“It seems oxymoronic to say that by walking silently in a public park, with heads bowed, these people somehow disturbed the peace,” Oster commented. “From the sit-ins of the 1960s to today, courts have repeatedly ruled that the police cannot arrest those who peacefully express their message in public places.”
A fact sheet is available on the lawsuit at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/RavenFactSheet.pdf.
ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
