Antigay Minister Charged With Noise Violation For Pride Protest

[William769]

A reverend who was arrested for violating a noise ordinance while protesting a gay pride event in Charlotte, N.C., says the charge is a violation of his right to free speech.

The Charlotte Observer reports that thousands of people flocked to the Pride Charlotte festival over the weekend — which raised money for the city’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center — among them a dozen or so protesters, including Reverend Phillip “Flip” Benham.

Benham, who has had four brushes with the law since January 2010 — including a conviction for stalking — said he turned down the volume of his loudspeaker when officers asked him to. But as he stood outside the festival reading from the first chapter of Romans, his voice began to rise as he preached passionately about God’s wrath against sin.

Benham says the city’s policy of limiting public noise is a violation of his First Amendment rights. “It’s the way the city controls us,” Benham said. “It controls the message that we speak. The city can control the content of a message if they can control the volume.”

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/08/29/Antigay_Minister_Charged_with_Noise_Violation_For_Pride_Protest/

The louder they get, seems the more desperate they are.

[yardwork]

1. I think I've seen this guy at our local Pride parades. He has a huge loudspeaker.

His purpose is obviously to drown out everybody within a mile or two. He stands right next to the parade and bellows hate speech through a massive loudspeaker. It's disingenuous of him to complain that his first amendment rights are being violated when his purpose is clearly to make sure that nobody for miles around can hear anybody but him.

[xchrom]

2. Loud mouth ass hat. Nt

[Vogon_Glory]

3. Benham Used To Be A Big Wheel In The Anti-Abortion Movement

Flip Benham used to be a big wheel in the anti-abortion movement. This is a jerk with a long record of being a jerk. I hope the authorities in Charlotte decide not to coddle him.

[ZombieHorde]

4. ...

[William769]

5. ...