A Christian street preacher saw charges against him dropped after being arrested on June 6 after an LGBTQ Pride event in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Damon Atkins was placed in handcuffs and arrested for alleged “disorderly conduct, engaged in fighting,” during the incident, Fox News reported Sunday.
However, the Berks County District Attorney announced Wednesday that “After a review of the incident which took place on June 3rd in the 800bl of Washington St in Reading, our office has withdrawn charges of disorderly conduct filed against Damon Atkins.”
“The charges were withdrawn after we reviewed the videos of the incident & applicable case law,” the social media post read:
Video of the initial incident recorded by resident Matthew Wear shows Atkins speaking with Sgt. Bradley McClure.
The street preacher was reportedly quoting Bible verses before telling the officer he is standing on public property.
When the policeman tells him to respect the attendees, Atkins says he is being respectful and eventually repeats the fact he is on public property.
When Atkins begins quoting another verse, he is unable to finish the sentence before the officer handcuffs him:
The Fox report said Atkins was apparently trying to quote 1 Corinthians 14:33 which states, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
During an interview with CBN News, Atkins said he was not angry with anyone attending the event, but “I am aggressive towards sin and that is it.”
“I want everyone to know, including my brothers and sisters, my best friends, everyone here, you cannot live in willful sin,” he explained:
Atkins added that when the situation intensified, “I felt like it was the enemy telling me, ‘You’re gonna be quiet.’ And I thought of the First Amendment. It popped in my head like, ‘No sir, this is public property.'”
“I’m not being rude. I’m just here to spread the gospel, the good news. Jesus Christ saved me and he can save everyone, including the officer,” he commented.
According to the Constitution of the United States, the First Amendment’s text says:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The officer said in an affidavit regarding Atkins that he allegedly yelled at the event’s attendees, and he told him not to cross the street or yell and Atkins understood those instructions.
However, McClure claimed the man resumed yelling derogatory comments at the group, and because he had already issued a warning, he arrested him.
One officer who spoke with Fox News Digital claimed the men interacted prior to the video being recorded and there was more to what took place than just the clip.
Meanwhile, social media users expressed their thoughts on the incident, one person writing, “Everyone has the right to freedom of speech. The most hated speech must be protected the most.”
“Should not matter what you’re protesting your allowed to do that freely,” another commented.