BEL AIR, Maryland - October 20, 2008 - A county in
Maryland has agreed to halt enforcement of a sign ordinance cited when members
of a team of pro-life protesters were arrested, shackled and strip-searched
while expressing their opposition to abortion.
According to a statement from the
Alliance Defense Fund, a consent agreement has been reached that will halt
enforcement of the ordinance while its constitutionality is argued in federal
court.
"It is unconstitutional to
require small groups of Christians to obtain permits to exercise their First
Amendment rights in a public area like the one involved in this case," ADF
Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot said. "Police used this permit requirement as
part of their justification for the unacceptable treatment of our clients, who
simply desired to share their pro-life message."
The enforcement suspension was
outlined in an agreement approved by a federal judge hearing the dispute. It
prohibits Harford County from requiring protesters with hand-held signs to get
a permit first.
In August, a dozen police officers
handcuffed peaceful participants in Defend Life's "Face the Truth"
Pro-Life Tour and then denied them a reason for their arrests.
Three young female participants -
including teenagers - were subjected to two rounds of strip searches after
being charged with loitering, disorderly conduct and failure to obey a lawful
order, charges which later were dropped.
The confrontation developed in Bel
Air, Maryland, where attorney Daniel Cox, who is allied with the ADF, serves as
local counsel.
"The truth of the matter is
that our clients were heckled, arrested, imprisoned, shackled, and
strip-searched twice for exercising their First Amendment rights," he
said.
The protesters' lawsuit accuses Bel
Air, seven police officials and Harford County of violating the rights of 18
pro-life advocates who were arrested when they held signs and shared their
message along a public street.
The lawsuit explained police first
ordered the pro-lifers off of county property, and later when they complied and
moved to city property, swooped down on them in seven marked police cars,
shackled and jailed them, and performed the strip searches.
The lawsuit by the pro-life protesters, some of whom
also are represented by the Thomas More Society of Chicago and the American
Catholic Lawyers Association, named as defendants the town of Bel Air and
Harford County, as well as officers Terrence Sheridan, Donald Ravadge, Mark
Zulauf and Armand Dupre and three state patrol troopers.
Call to voice you thoughts and feelings about this reprehensible act by a bunch of criminals with badges! DEMAND JUSTICE! Demand that the perpetrators be criminally prosecuted, then dumped in prison, where they can be subjected to the same or worse treatment tas that which they so willingly inflicted on others.
Bel Air Police Department
Chief Leo F. Natrangola
410-638-4500
Harford County Sheriff L. Jesse Boone
410-838-6600
Maryland State Police
Superintendent Colonel Terrance Sheridan
410-653-4200