PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) U.S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty ruled April 13 that groups holding events in city parks cannot eject people who express an opposing viewpoint, stating the action violates the First Amendment guarantee of free speech.
Haggerty’s ruling is a victory for Edward Gathright, an evangelical Christian street preacher who was ejected six times in 2001 and 2002 from events at Pioneer Courthouse Square and Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The events included a welcoming celebration for the Dalai Lama, Gay Pride festivals, an AIDS walk and a commemoration of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Gathright’s attorneys said he should not be thrown out of events simply because organizers did not like what he had to say. Gathright often tells gays they must die and likens women to daughters of Babylon.
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