The Fort Worth police chief stated that First Amendment training would be part of holding the officers accountable.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Division announced an investigation into the police department of Fort Worth, Texas, after officers violated the free speech of two street preachers near a Pride festival in June.
A sergeant with law enforcement told the evangelists that they would be cited or arrested for “offensive speech“ after they declared that homosexuality was a sin. The preachers were also reportedly blocked from public streets and sidewalks during the Pride event.
“Government actors cannot discriminate against viewpoints or restrict peaceful free speech just because it may be offensive to some,” Assistant Attorney General Dhillon said. “Under this administration, the Civil Rights Division will defend free speech, as protected by the Constitution.”
Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia stated that First Amendment training would be included in accountability for the Fort Worth officers. “We just trained up our command staff again with refresher courses. We’re going to be training our sergeants. We’re going to be training our officers,” he said.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For AAG Dhillon as she heads the DOJ’s Civil Division and seeks to protect the Freedoms of Religion and Speech.
- For federal, state, and local officers to uphold with the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights as they conduct law enforcement operations.
Sources: Townhall, Daily Wire, MSN, Fox News
