Michigan Pastor Arrested for Gay Rights Protest

[William769]

The Rev. Bill Freeman was arrested Wednesday in Holland for protesting the city’s lack of a gay rights antidiscrimination ordinance in an action inspired by Occupy Wall Street.

The Grand Rapids Press reports on Freeman, minister of Interfaith Congregation, who refused to leave City Hall and was taken to the Ottawa County Jail. He posted $100 bond late Wednesday and was released.

The Holland City Council voted 5 to 4 in June to maintain the nondiscrimination ordinance covering employment and housing in its current form without protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Freeman has spoken at city council meetings since then to ask lawmakers to reconsider, but they have given no indication of changing their minds.

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/10/20/Michigan_Pastor_Arrested_for_Gay_Rights_Protest/

[gratuitous]

1. So they arrest Rev. Freeman for refusing to leave city hall

I wonder when we'll see a lobbyist arrested for being at city hall? Good for Rev. Freeman, and bad on the Holland City Council. If you're not going to protect citizens' rights, then stop taxing them.

[enlightenment]

2. Ah - but lobbyists' come bearing gifts . . .

the good Reverend came armed only with truth.

Truth seems to be anathema to politicians at every level.

[William769]

3. No truer words spoken.

[xchrom]

4. +2 nt

[redgiant]

5. Both the right and the left...

...are guilty of misstating the reason for arrests.

See, the headline makes it sound like he was arrested for expressing gay rights sentiments. Of course, that's not why he was arrested. *What* he was protesting isn't the cause of the arrest. There are many venues where demonstrations and protests and other disturbances are not permitted. There are many venues where they are permitted, within the bounds of orderliness and noninterference with the rights of others. For example, you can picket and carry signs on the public sidewalk. You can't do the same if you're also blocking pedestrian traffic or interfering with other legitimate activities. If I do so, I'll likely be arrested, regardless of what my protest sign says.

So, the guy was arrested for civil disobedience. He was asked to take his protest elsewhere, and he refused. The arrest was appropriate, and was for civil disobedience, not the content of his protest.

Tell me--if the city council HAD included sexual orientation in the anti-discrimination ordinance, and some pastor was arrested for protesting THAT in the same venue, would you be equally sympathetic? But, do you know how the homophobes would frame the incident? It would be, "Pastor arrested for standing up for family values."

That's what I mean when I say both the right and left misstate these kinds of incidents. It happens all the time.

[MrScorpio]

6. We're not admiring Rev Freeman's exercising his willingness to be arrested for civil disobedience...

We're admiring his dedication in standing up for what's right.

You may try to dismiss the difference between left and right perspectives, but I'll pick left OVER right every single time.