Monday, February 11, 2008

Door To Door Sales - OK. Door to Door Christians - Not

From The Alliance Defense Fund -

MILWAUKEE — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday to strike down a Kewaskum village ordinance that severely restricts the constitutional right to free speech and religious freedom.

“Christians should not be penalized for expressing their beliefs,” said ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum. “Exercising your First Amendment rights is not a crime. Our client simply wanted to quietly leave religious literature on door handles of city residents without bothering anyone, yet the city denied him even this most basic exercise of his constitutional right to free speech.”


On April 25, 2007, Michael Foht went to two neighborhoods in the village of Kewaskum to place flyers sharing his Christian beliefs on the door handles of residences. After receiving a complaint from one of the residents, a Kewaskum police officer informed Foht that a local ordinance prohibited him from distributing the information. The officer informed him that he would be fined $172 every time he was found in violation of the ordinance, and might even face arrest. Foht has not returned to the village to distribute his literature.

“It’s our hope that the court will strike down this overly broad ordinance and allow Mr. Foht and others to once again distribute literature to village residents,” said Kellum.


I hope that folks realize that the implication of this 'village law' is that it is great for me to pass out an add about something that I am selling, but that I will get fined $ 172 if I were to pass something about the Gospel.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I love the idea of Door-to-Door Religious zealots being fined! They are so ridiculously annoying. I don't care to hear about their beliefs and i certainly don't care to be coerced into joining their joining their agenda. I am a free thinker and will continue to live my life thinking for myself.

It should be outlawed!

Ken Cook said...

Why should people be fined for simply talking to people about religious things? For a "free thinker" it seems that you are interested more in not having to think...