The city of Northglenn in Colorado barred local churches that met every Tuesday and Thursday in a public park from gathering but allowed secular groups to continue meeting. The city criminally charged some church members.
The Center for American Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents four church members, said that the churches gathered to worship, pray, fellowship, and provide charity for over four years without complaint. But things changed.
“Citing a fabricated need to ease crowding and protect ‘typical park use,’ the city passed a pretextual law banning recurring gatherings of groups of five or more.”
ACLJ filed a federal lawsuit last November. The city of Northglenn backed down last week, apparently realizing how bad the optics were, and dropped the criminal charges against the church members. An excerpt:
Instead of responding to our motions, on the day its opposition was due, the city folded. The criminal citations have been dismissed. The pastors will no longer face prosecution simply for obeying God’s call to serve and worship in public. For now, at least. We praise God for this outcome and thank Him for the strength He has given these faithful servants who stood firm in the face of government overreach.
As ACLJ cited, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against discriminating against individuals and organizations based on the content of speech. The city’s ordinance appeared to target religious gatherings.
Photo credit: By City of Northglenn – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, link
