The Raleigh Police Department has until April 23, 2026, to respond to Liberty Counsel’s (LC) legal letter demanding that police officers stop interfering with Gospel of God Ministries’s constitutional right to speak during public festivals in the city.
Ministry members Tommy Waltz and others use amplified sound to peacefully preach at public festivals in public areas. But the police ordered members to stop preaching, turn off the sound system, and leave during several events. Just like that.
Among other claims, the police said the ministry violated the city noise ordinance. From LC:
As the letter explains, Raleigh police officers unconstitutionally denied access to public sidewalks, improperly relied on event coordinators’ objections, and misapplied local noise ordinances to curtail the ministry’s speech.
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Streets and sidewalks are “undisputed quintessential public forums” with heightened First Amendment protection, wrote Liberty Counsel.
The Raleigh Police Department is interfering with the ministry’s protected speech, LC contends. At one point, a police officer told a ministry member that he was trespassing — at a public forum.
According to the letter, the police officer cited no ordinance, law, or department policy.
“Instead, the officer sought to appease the Brewgaloo event coordinator,
who did not want members of the Ministry to speak to the attendees.”
Why? Because of the religious content of the speech? That’s called religious discrimination, and it is illegal.
“The First Amendment exists precisely to guard free religious expression, and the Raleigh Police Department should stop interfering with those protections,” said Mat Staver, LC founder and chairman.
Photo credit: By James Willamor, CC BY-SA 3.0, link
