A street preacher sued the city of Brandon in federal court last week after he was convicted of violating an ordinance prohibiting protests outside of a designated area at Quarry Park. The park is the site of the Brandon amphitheater.
Gabriel Olivier is a professional landscaper from Terry who engages in street preaching at public events. The would be angel uses signs brochures, T-shirts, and voice amplification devices to spread the word.
After determining the unchurched folks of Brandon needed to hear his word, Olivier took his message to Quarry Park where along with his family and friends, Olivier would preach and attempt to hand out literature at the intersection of Thompson Drive in the main entrance to the amphitheater. he said they use the sidewalks and stay out of the way although the intersection is highly congested prior to the start of the event. He referred to his street preaching as a protest.
Brandon police told him to move at several events in 2018 and 2019. However Olivier refused to move, claiming he had a right to free speech on public sidewalks.the officers allowed him to continue.
Unfortunately for Olivier, Brandon saw things differently and passed an ordinance in December 2019 that designated a protest area during events at the amphitheater (the ordinance is provided on page 6 of the complaint posted below).
The Lee Brice concert took place at the amphitheater on May 1, 2021. Seeing an opportunity to preach, Olivier, his wife, and several friends went to Quarry Park that night. They brought signs, literature, and, of course, a handheld amplification device (otherwise known as a bullhorn).
They began to preach in their usual spot only to have police chief William Thompson tell them they had to move to the protest area. The complaint says the protest area is 265 feet away from the intersection and is not adjacent to a sidewalk, thus preventing him handing out literature to people. Olivier also concluded his preaching would be futile in the protest area because of the new rule that prohibits amplified speech audible from 100 feet away.
Judging the protest area to be impractical, Olivier and crew went back to the site of their previous street preaching at the intersection. The police told them to return to the protest area but the street preachers said they were going to exercise their religious freedom at the intersection. They held up their signs and preached despite the directives issued by the police officers.
Chief Thompson and another police officer arrested Olivier and a friend. The two defendants were booked and released. Olivier pleaded guilty of violating the ordinance and paid a fine of $304.
A Brandon official said the ordinance is designed to keep the busy intersection from becoming even more congested and backed up during events.
The complaint charges Brandon with violating the free speech clause of the First Amendment as well as Olivier's due process rights. Olivier asked for an injunction preventing Brandon from enforcing the ordinance. The complaint also asked for attorney's fees and compensatory damages.
Attorney Nathan Kellum represents the plaintiff. The case is assigned to US District Judge Henry Wingate.
Posted below is the complaint, motion for a preliminary injunction, and plaintiffs affidavit.
43 comments:
Good on the City of Brandon. As a patron of the amphitheater, these people are obnoxious and always try to interrupt people trying to have a good time, but know they wont encounter someone shoving that megaphone up their a$$. If they really wanted to reach people, they would be downtown where all the violence and killing is going on, not suburban folks trying to enjoy one of the fun things going on around here. These "street preachers" are all talk and no action. They play it safe from the sidelines and don't jump in the fire and fight the real battles where they really need to be fought.
Maybe Wingate will decide the case before the street preacher makes it to heaven but I wouldn't bet on it.
Judge Wingate. Stand by for a ruling.
My GF , God rest his soul , a street preacher himself could always be found in the worst possible areas and damn near died several times. This guy , to me, should be right in the middle of Robinhood , if he's serious at all.
Can a city have an ordinance that over rules the constitution?
We shall see.....
LET’S GO BRANDON!!!!
@11:01 AM, so you are also opposed to the street preachers at the abortion clinic in Jackson? Come clean.
Brandon getting a taste of Fondren's medicine. That ordinance will be rejected, Brandon will lose the challenge, and Mississippi will continue to Mississippi itself.
11:91am, "Violence and killings" downtown? Huh?
I have a right to be free from someone cramming their brand of religion down my throat by getting in my face and yelling at me through a megaphone in a public place.
Personally, I doubt anyone has been converted by such tactics. I suspect they have the opposite effect of driving people away. Whenever it becomes all about the messenger, the message gets lost.
@11:22 tell me you didn't go to law school without telling me you didn't go to law school.
It's weird in the fact that Jesus loved people even though they were sinners and was compassionate. He did get mad at the temple money changers, but he was concerned for a person's soul. These people who do the street preaching, it's almost like they hate you. They yell at you call you names and try to pick fights with you. I just don't find in scripture this methodolgy of sharing the Gospel.
These so called street preachers give religion a bad name. They are definitely not displaying Christian behavior and they definitely are not concerned with reaching or saving anyone. They are nothing but pure judgmental HATERS. They even attack children. Citizens and businesses need to be protected from them!
I know where the amphitheater is located, but where is the ampitheater?
Amazing how much guys like this and the woke mob resemble each other.
This best thing that has happened to these idiots is when they verbally assaulted a group of lesbians at Finians pub. Said lesbian beat the hell out of the verbal assaulters while the group live-streamed. Fake preachers screamed and yelled while getting pummeled then called JPD. The police never responded , justice was served. I have heard the loud bunch at the amphitheater, surprised they have not been assaulted more times .
The ordinance is fine.
There is an area designated where he can preach all he likes.
Started/stopped posting a comment on this 3 different times. so, for the sake of brevity:
Matthew 22:34-40
Matthew 7:15-23
@11:50 I'm not @11:01 but, yes, I am opposed to them. I'm a follower of and believer in Jesus Christ. The message they 'preach' is not the one of my Jesus.
@12:19 said it perfectly.
If enough people go up and ask him to give them a place to sleep and food, he will probably remove himself.
These dudes send more people toward atheism than they realize.
I'm reminded of the 1980's cartoon character "Brother Jim".
Back then,he toured the nation's universities screaming at young girls that they were going to "burn in hell" for wearing short pants during Summer School sessions and such.
But,"Brother Jim" ran into serious & unexpected opposition when he started screaming at Ole Miss girls for being "whoremongers" because they were wearing short pants during late July.
Ole Miss UPD had to protect him, during his rapid exit off campus.
I think he traveled to Mississippi State,Southern Miss and LSU after the Ole Miss episode.
I guess Carlos the Clown only represents people not of color, like this yahoo.
To follow up on 1:27:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. . . . Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
Galatians 5:22-26
I have a cousin who has waved the Bible in everyone's face at family gatherings for decades. She still doesn't realize the damage she has caused, not only to the family but to religion in general. We can't stand being around her & have all gone in different directions. In many ways, these street preachers are no different than her in ruining religion for everybody.
At least this guy is more calm than the BLM crowd. Of course he isn't extorting grants from corporate America either like BLM.
Don't conceal carry with an enhanced in the city of Brandon anywhere, parks, amphitheater, etc.
You can be arrested and jailed.
State law doesn't matter there
Looks like the IN GOD WE TRUST stickers that the RCSO and other Rankin LEOs display on their tax payer funded equipment are nothing more thank PANDERING LIP SERVICE
12:48, the ampitheater is close the the arm-pit-eater
"Can a city have an ordinance that over rules the constitution?" They never over ruled the Constitution. They just designated where, for safety issues, a protest can be held. Jack leg can still spout whatever he wishes.
Ugh, I can't STAND free speech!!! What does he think this is, some kinda free country? Take your Bible and microphone and get back to your restricted speech zone you looney tune!
Love the woke jesus commentary
I'm glad Brandon is striking down Free Speech. Now, if they could only strike down the remaining Four Freedoms in the First Amendment.
Don Lemon and Anderson Cooper will set up shop at the Best Western in Brandon. Tucker too.
12:40
Free speech is one thing but screaming at teenage girls calling them whores is another. Look smart guy no one is telling them not to be there just moved them to a designated spot to keep them and patrons out of the road. You know what do they call that, safety?
If you have ever ran into this bunch at the Brandon amphitheater you know they are obnoxious, rude and do their best to provoke the cops. They are so obnoxious and rude most of us walk way around them. They are not practicing free speech and freedom of religion. They just enjoy harassing and annoying people and are hiding behind the first amendment to do it. Lot of it going on nationwide.
The fact Nathan Kellum filed this complaint is proof it has merit. He is an extremely experienced religious liberty attorney.
Preacher wins, Brandon gets to pick up the tab for his attorney’s fees and costs.
Hopefully every person that has to walk by these a holes tells them where to stick their pamphlets. Can’t stand people who try to ruin everyone’s good time. Get a life losers.
If they win, maybe the church of Satan will decide to join in on the fun and do a little “protesting” of their own.
8:45
How so? There is already a designated street preacher area he can yell profanity’s from, they aren’t saying he can’t do it.
Am I allowed into the “preacher’s” home to do some protesting? It’s my 1st amendment right after all and you can’t restrict ma freedom.
Wait until those "preachers" realize that Jesus was a Jew from the Middle East, and thus likely had brownish skin. What will they do when they find out he wasn't White, from the USA, or spoke English.
So let me get this right, so every clueless person that simply because you do not agree with the message would rather the have someone's right to free speech infringed on. Secondly everyone that used the phrase that's not my religion needs to go listen to what the man may be preaching religion is man made and is not in the Bible that some of you tried to quote. God is not some fairy tale all love, God smote entire nations for his chosen nation, killed the first born of an entire nation. Yes Jesus is more thank likely God's less vengeful side and dealt with things more calm. Yet he also vandalized the temple and let his friends brother die just perform a miracle. And the way Jesus spoke to the Pharisees' and Sadducees' is wasn't with kind words unless people like being referred to as vipers and serpents and devils, but if you are religious then you are more like the Pharisees' and Sadducees'.
@10:14
There is no more evidence that Jesus, an incarnation of Yahweh, was real and destroyed nations than there is evidence that Krishna, an incarnation Vishnu, was a destroyer of worlds.
But I will say that the Bhagavad-Gita is a much better read than the Christian Bible.
It's no ones "Right" to yell in my ear with a megaphone while I am trying to enjoy myself, no matter the message. It's not so much the message as it is the delivery. You stand in front of my house and heckle me in the name of free speech and the street is public, I am probably going to make it uncomfortable to your face. You can do things and not be a Richard head.
You people need to wake up , especially those who claim to be a Christian, open air preaching is the most biblical and effective way I have heard these preachers out preaching in the streets and they are spot on , they preach what the Bible God word says , many of you people would put Jesus on the cross and murder him again and the apostles just like they persecuted and killed the Prophets of old , many of you are the ones who give christianity a bad name , you people need a bible waved in your face, to wake up to the truth. This is America and we as it stands now have freedom of speech. You people are hypocrites modern day pharisees the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those Perishing , you hate the truth because you hate the light you hate God and love your sins . God will avenge all the wicked and evil said and done to these gospel preachers. Repent before it’s to late .
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