A viral interaction between Fort Worth police and a Christian street preacher has drawn attention from the U.S. Attorney’s civil rights division.
David Grisham and another member of his evangelical preaching team were confronted by a female officer during an outreach to participants of a Pride event in Texas.
According to reports, the officer stated: “If someone is offended by your talking, then we have a problem.” She added, “If they are offended by your speech … I will write you a ticket, and we’ll go from there.”
A second video shows additional officers confronting Grisham. The preacher was later cited for “unreasonable noise,” an ordinance typically applied to construction or animal-related noise but not exclusively.
Attorney C.J. Grisham, who has no known familial relationship with the plaintiff, stated that the officer failed to follow the city’s ordinance because no decibel check was conducted. He also argued that the city’s decibel limit is unlawfully set below Texas law.
“The Fort Worth Police Department responded, not by protecting his constitutional rights, but by threatening him with arrest and ultimately issuing a citation,” the attorney said.
In a statement released Wednesday, Fort Worth Police spokesman Officer Buddy Calzada explained the incident began when the group used a bullhorn to amplify their voices. Calzada claimed police received complaints from business owners, told the group to stop using the bullhorn, and that the group refused. The bullhorn was seized as evidence after the citation.
Calzada added: “At no time did officers prevent any individuals from expressing their views. Officers told the individuals they could continue exercising their rights without using an amplification device. However, the individuals willingly ceased protesting after the bullhorn was seized.”
The police spokesman also noted that the viral video did not reflect the entire interaction and admitted that the officer made statements that were “not accurate.”
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced on social media that the Justice Department would investigate the incident, stating: “Troubling. Our civil rights team is on it.”
