If you were my jury....

Hi Jesse...Be encouraged -- our Defender is strong!As a fellow Christian (and now a transplanted Texan), I would definitely think that your civil rights were violated. I concur with other believers that you may want to contact a credible Christian legal defense organization (like the American Center for Law and Justice [ACLJ], or the Rutherford Institute). As a sidenote, do you check with the schools before you go and preach?Three years ago, a man began preaching on our University campus. He drew huge crowds of onlookers (mostly students and staff that were bewildered). Now, this preacher was quite a bit odd. He was not quite accurate in what he was preaching -- often hurling judgmental accusations at students who watched and listened to him. At one point, he pointed to the women in the crowd that wore jeans and told them that they were going to Hell for their homosexual clothing. This preacher got "off topic" many times, and often reverted to pointing out sins, according to his own interpretation of what holiness and righteousness should be. Some people became visibly and verbally angry at him (even threatening to hurt him). But the University sent police officers to protect him. Nonetheless, the crowds remained quite large for several days. I don't know that there were any spiritual "results" from his quite judgmental messages -- other than it made alot of people think about eternal and spiritual things. He did stir up quite a bit of emotion from his controversial messages (even telling some of my sincere Christian friends that they were going to Hell for wearing cargo shorts, wearing a Dallas Cowboy t-shirt and another for drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper). The preacher, however, seemed quite happy with his experience, and even recorded his own sermons on both video and audio recorders. I verbally defended his right to speak in front of some of the angrier people in the crowd (even though he had said I was going to Hell for owning a Visa credit card). He even sent me some emails -- showing that he does the same thing, going from campus to campus (and periodically in trouble with the law).A week later, one of the Vice Presidents answered a few complaints and wrote an article for the school newspaper explaining the school policies for such "exercises in free speech." Our University has areas designated on campus as "free speech zones" -- places where someone can speak without having to get a permit. It is opened on a first come/first serve basis, and is located in some of the most visible and heavily traveled walking areas on campus. Some areas are "off limits" because they are designated as possible classroom or business space. The school often has businesses that sell products on campus -- both outside and inside.One person was arrested and ticketed for violating the school policy, though. He was speaking without a permit in one of the "closed areas" on campus. He continued to preach after having been warned by three times. The University police explained that he could have avoided the hassel if he had just obtained a free permit in the first place (because no one else was using the area in question on that day). But I suppose that it could have been one of those John Bunyan issues where you are allowed to preach, as long as you get the paper and approval of man (or a denomination). I was just curious as to how you go about preaching. Do you check with the school first? :-)

You have it well documented. Truth prevails with God. It is the lies that God does not like.The account you give is so ordinary, so human. Its what I call 'innocence of truth.I hear it, as the officer being very changeable. Showing some aggression whose motive could be questioned as having a personal reason, for not liking you and your kind of faith.It makes what you will say, in the court, to have some substance that will show that you were being treated badly by a police officer.It is good that you have that recording because it sets the scene, for what took place after it was switched off. God go with you.ellie

From the point of an impartial juror who was not bias or knowing of the situation, I would have great concern that the officer made you turn off the voice recorder.I would have the same concern if it were a case against a Harri Krishna being arrested outside and airport.I think that the fact that the officer forcibly turned off your voice recorder looks very bad for him and may be the best thing you have going for you.May God bless you in this trial and you can rest assured on the promise of God that know matter what happens God will work it out for good.Thank you brother Jesse for your bold stand for the Word of God and Truth in this dark and dieing world. Your boldness has been an inspiration to me.

I saw what you have written and agree with you, all of it.ellie