Case Dismissed: Man Arrested After Sharing Gospel Is Exonerated (VIDEO)
A court dismissed criminal charges of New Jersey man who was arrested after he shared the Gospel on a sidewalk outside a public high school after the school day had ended.
In May 2009, Robert Parker began sharing the Gospel from a public sidewalk outside after Edison High School students were dismissed for the day, but was confronted by the principal who ordered him to leave.
Parker explained that the First Amendment protected his free speech and free exercise of religion rights, but the principal became irate and called police.
At the insistence of the principal of Edison High School, Robert Parker was taken into custody after he claimed Parker’s foot touched the grass on the school’s side of the sidewalk while he was speaking with officers. The officers arrested him and issued him a summons for “defiant trespassing.”
“Christians shouldn’t be arrested and charged as criminals for expressing their beliefs on public property. They have the same First Amendment rights as anyone else in America,” said Demetrios Stratis of Fair Lawn, a Alliance Defense Fund allied-attorney.
“A person cannot be charged with a crime just because a school official has a complete misunderstanding of the First Amendment or doesn’t like what that person has to say,” said Stratis. “We are pleased that we prevailed in court in getting these unwarranted criminal charges dropped.”
Stratis filed a motion to dismiss the charges with the Superior Court of New Jersey, Middlesex County, and the court subsequently issued an order dismissing the charges in State of New Jersey v. Parker.
The Edison Municipal Court, where the charges and complaint were still pending, later complied with the higher court’s decision and dismissed the charges.
A witness said that the principal falsely accused Parker and caught the principle on video with him “coming unglued and being foul mouthed using all kinds of nasty four letter words around the students.”
[The above video was recorded two weeks prior to the arrest of Parker. The video shows Parker preaching on a public sidewalk as the principal, Salvatore V. Mistretta, of Edison High School, NJ, - curses in front of students, commenting that "Jesus Christ cannot do a G-d d-mn thing," "F--ing a--hole" with "see if Jesus Christ can help you now" as Mistretta demands the camera be shut off and they leave.]
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Short URL: http://www.christianlawjournal.com/?p=13368
Sue them and press Federal Criminal Charges Brother Robert. I am a Paralegal and can help you. You can sue under TITLE 42 section 1983 and Criminal Charges under Title 18 Sections 241 & 242
1) Title 42-Civil Charges: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/42/1983.html
2) Title 18-Criminal Charges: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/civilrights/statutes.htm
Please Read Brother and do not be a MAMBY PAMBY. You can forgive them for what they did to you and you can also have the Law take it’s course. This is what Jesus exemplified on the Cross to the Repentant Thief…..Jesus said, “TODAY YOU SHALL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE”. Jesus forgave the Thief, but Jesus allowed the Thief also to be PUNISHED for His Crime……This is what you need to do, to carry through my dear Brother in the Lord
They need to be tasught a SERIOUS LESSON and be MADE an EXAMPLE of so OTHERS will FEAR and OBEY the LAW and show Respect for God, His Laws, His People and the Truth, Justice and the American Way
What Say you?
Call me: 732-353-6665
Missionary James
Again, we Christians never go the FULL-MILE when Police and Citizens alike flagrantly disregard our Right to Religious Free Speech. We say PRAISE THE LORD that our Brother Robert was RIGHTFULLY RELEASED of the FALSE CHARGES against Him…..but it should not end there.
We should be calling for the Firing of these Police Officers and CHARGES, both CRIMINAL and CIVIL should be filed against the Police Officers, including EDISON TOWNSHIP…..
We also need to DEMAND a PUBLIC APOLOGY from the Criminal Police officer involved in this FALSE ARREST and a TOWN HALL MEETING with the CHIEF OF POLICE and MAYOR of Edison to discuss WHAT ACTION are going to be taken to ASSURE that this NEVER HAPPENS again…..
What needs to be done is the TEACHING OF THE CONSTITUTION, DOI and BILL OF RIGHTS to ALL POLICE OFFICERS before they take an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. ALL Police Officers should be TESTED and MUST PASS THAT TEST by a CITIZEN REVIEW BOARD before being hired as a Police Officer…..PLUS…..ALL that are already POLICE OFFICERS need to take this SAME TEST & MUST PASS….or…..
Any person who FAILS this Test, CAN NOT SERVE or CONTINUE TO SERVE until such TEST is passed with FLYING COLORS……
If we do not do ALL the Above, POLICE OFFICER and ALL EDUCATORS will continue to violate us, because THEY FEAR NOT WHAT THE LAW WILL and SHOULD do to them…..nor do they FEAR US and/or our current LAWS and RIGHTS….
Stop being stupid sheep and allowing the same thing to happen day in and day out. Raise your Voice, Run for Office, Call your Councilman/Congressman and Senators, get off your Lazy apathetic Butts and get to work for the lord Jesus in the Service of Him and the NEEDS of MEN…….
What say you Brethren?
Praise the Lord Jesus for brother Robert preaching the truth and pressing on for the glory of God, also please note, Robert did get arrested for taking a stand for Jesus, but the video is of Greg being bullied by the principal. God bless you Brother Rob.
Is the principle this tough on thugs & bullies in his school? Is the principle this tough on drug pushers in school and surrounding area? Is he this tough on homosexual propaganda in his own school? You can’t have Jesus taken out of our schools anymore than in our current times, and yet this principle wants Jesus out of the area completely. If a principle acts like an intolerant bully against Christians, what are the children learning at this school? My advice to parents would be to change schools or petition to remove this principle.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. – Matthew 7:18
Amen Robert for preaching the Gospel!
Good job Robert. The princple should be fired for his actions. Wish parents would make an issue out of it! I would if I was in that school district! God Bless you!
Amen, praise the Lord
1Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Praise the Lord!
I was unlawfully arrested for preaching the gospel . I was told by the police officer that the principal has it out for you . You should go some where else.