Looks like quoting the Bible and yelling derogatory things at a Pride event doesn't sit well with the police in Reading, PA. According to The Lancaster Patriot, a man was arrested in less than 60 seconds, placed in handcuffs, and charged all while he was attempting to quote the Bible. However, it should be noted that he was NOT arrested for quoting the Bible, despite what other news outlets may say. He was arrested WHILE quoting the Bible. There's a difference.
The man's name is Damon Atkins and he was standing at the 'Pride March and Rally' being held in Reading PA, it's first event of the sort and one endorsed by Mayor Eddie Moran - obviously a Democrat, and now readers are raging in support of the man who was arrested. The Lancaster Patriot said the incident in the video above was caught on film by a man named Matthew Wear, who said he was also preaching but cops told him to stop. That same cop eventually arrested Damon Atkins.
The video begins with Wear narrating and explaining that he preached until “a cop got in my face, laid hands on me, and threatened to arrest me if I didn’t stop.”
“They got drag queens, they got children here,” Wear said in the video. “They’re about to do a flag raising ceremony in this Satan cesspit.”
About a minute into the video, Atkins can be seen at a distance heading toward the event.
“It looks like some more men just showed up to support us,” Wear says at the 1:48 point in the video. “This cop’s going to give them a hard time.”
The video shows Police Sergeant Bradley T. McClure approaching Atkins, and the two interact for approximately 25 seconds.
Atkins said it was public property, but the officer told him to let the people have their event and to 'respect them' - although it was unclear what exact crime Atkins would be committing by simply being there and quoting the Bible. The Lancaster Patriot continues providing more information, saying:
Atkins told The Lancaster Patriot that he was going to quote a portion of 1 Corinthians 14:33 – “God is not the author of confusion” – but did not finish the quote because he stopped when he was handcuffed by McClure.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, McClure claims that “[Atkins] was carrying a sign with a slogan written on it that showed his opposition to the event.”
The video footage shows Atkins holding a sign that read “JESUS SAID GO AND SIN NO MORE.”
In the affidavit, McClure also claims that Atkins “began to yell to the people” attending the pride event.
“I immediately approached him and told him that, while he was free to stand on that side of the street and hold his sign,” McClure wrote in the affidavit, “he could not cross the street nor yell comments intended to disrupt the event.”
It seems like the officer told Atkins to stop yelling at the people across the street, but Atkins continued to yell derogatory things. This is where the stories might conflict between the officer and Atkins. As the officer then places Atkins in handcuffs and the officer suggests, on the affidavit, that Atkins agreed to be quiet - but Atkins told The Lancaster Patriot he never agreed to that. It's likely that the version of the story differs between the police officer and Atkins, but either way - he Atkins was arrested and charged with 'disorderly conduct engage in fighting.'
