Open-air Shut down

Keep me in prayer please. This last Saturday I went to preach open-air at a place I have preached maybe 2 dozen times at since May. However, this time within a couple minutes of my preaching, a security officer approached me and told me I was not allowed to preach here. He said this was private property and I could not do such. When I protested, he said he did not care what I've done in the past, and didn't care that anybody said I was allowed to preach there in the past, he was saying that I could not preach there now. He was very rude with me, and would scarcely allow me to say anything in my defense. He claimed he was the head of security in this shopping center, and I was not allowed.I find this very strange because I have preached at this outdoor shopping center on the sidewalk for several months now. Often I have preached with a security officer or two sitting within a few feet listening to me. The first time I came here to preach earlier in the year, they didn't know what to make of me at first. But they quickly consulted eachother and their boss, and deteremined I was allowed to, and that where I was standing was indeed public property. So pray for me regarding this, that I would once again find favor with security there. I plan on to continue on going back in the future. I might try to preach at times where there is a lot more foot traffic, and perhaps not so loud as to be heard everywhere, but only around where I am. P.s. does anybody know how I can find out exactly what sidewalks and properties are public/private domain?

I talked to a police officer about this same thing Saturday. He told me (I am in Arkansas) that I could preach on any public sidewalk, but some places property does extend onto the sidewalk, so it would be private. Also, if you are near a business and stopping people from coming in they can ask you to leave. Of course you can stand your ground but then they could file a complaint and then I think that the business has the right because they would say you are stopping their business. As messed up as it is you can either listen to the police or take them to court. I will be praying. Everyone should be in prayer for all of those striving to preach the Gospel in the open-air. Police are almost always involved at one time or another.

I've only been shut down once while preaching it was while i was in Birmingham (UK) at the bullring for anyone who knows it, it was such a shame coz the acoustics in that place were absolutely awesome, my fiance who was with me said she couldn't believe how loud and clear i was, it was a large yet enclosed open air space and literally it was like being stood in the middle of megaphone, anyway i got shut down within a few minutes, but i asked the security guard where i could preach and he told me where i could go and continue.The funny thing was that just after i was stopped an elderly black man said to the security guard 'Don't you want to hear the truth?' Praise God for that.so all i can say is find out if you can preach in a particular place, and if your shut down and moved on, dont be antagonistic but calmly ask if they know anywhere where you can continue.matt

Go to City Hall and ask for the City Manager's or City Planner's office. They should be able to tell you if the sidewalk there is private or public property. I would then ask them if the city requires a permit for this type of activity. If the city does require a permit then it is supposed to be free. Some cities require a permit so the police dept. isn't caught off guard if & when someone calls to complain about your preaching.Hope this helps

Thanks for the help. Somebody else directed me to contact the city hall, and I have. I am simply waiting for a reply from them to tell what the the ordinance is for that area. Based on a preliminary reply I received via e-mail from them, it looks like I will probably be able to preach there without any problems. For the guy forwarded an e-mail to somebody asking if the streets/sidewalk had been turned over to the town yet, and I am pretty confident that is the case, because the street has official street signs on it.