Shortly after the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County clarified that its Code of Conduct does not ban street preaching outside bus terminals, the police arrested street preacher Howard Camp again.
For two years, Camp shared the Gospel with people outside the terminal — with no complaints. He prayed with people and handed out water and food. But last September, the transit authority police told him he was trespassing on private property (not true). They arrested him, put him in handcuffs, and detained him.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), Camp’s legal counsel, sent a letter to the transit authority demanding that they retract the trespass warning, provide written assurance of future speech activities, and clarify policies.
In January, the transit authority backed down, rescinding the trespass warning and the ban on Camp’s street preaching. The transit authority clarified its policies in writing and acknowledged that its Code of Conduct does not bar amplification outside the bus terminal of speech, preaching, or religious expression.
But on January 9, the police arrested Camp again. From ACLJ:
We at the ACLJ are deeply troubled by this repeated violation of our client’s God-given and Constitution-protected rights. This latest arrest raises serious questions about officer training, internal accountability, and whether METRO leadership is truly committed to ending this unconstitutional harassment.
ACLJ sent another demand letter to the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County seeking written reaffirmation “of Mr. Camp’s unequivocal right to be present and to freely exercise his First Amendment-protected religious speech at METRO facilities.”
The legal firm also wants the details concerning the January 9 arrest, including why Camp was arrested and the names of the officers who arrested him.
ACLJ threatened legal action.
“We call on Houston METRO to immediately cease this attack on Christian speech and to honor their commitments without further delay,” wrote Liam Harrell, ACLJ attorney.
