WASHINGTON U.S. Attorney General William Barr has issued a statement after Greenville police issued tickets to church members who had gathered in their cars to worship during a COVID-19 shelter-in-place order.
The city has since stated it will drop the fines, but will continue to enforce the order, authorities said.
Read the response below:
"In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the President has issued guidelines calling on all Americans to do their part to slow the spread of a dangerous and highly contagious virus. Those measures are important because the virus is transmitted so easily from person to person, and because it all too often has life-threatening consequences for its victims, it has the potential to overwhelm health care systems when it surges.
To contain the virus and protect the most vulnerable among us, Americans have been asked, for a limited period of time, to practice rigorous social distancing. The President has also asked Americans to listen to and follow directions issued by state and local authorities regarding social distancing. Social distancing, while difficult and unfamiliar for a nation that has long prided itself on the strength of its voluntary associations, has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of American lives from an imminent threat. Scrupulously observing these guidelines is the best path to swiftly ending COVID-19s profound disruptions to our national life and resuming the normal economic life of our country. Citizens who seek to do otherwise are not merely assuming risk with respect to themselves, but are exposing others to danger. In exigent circumstances, when the community as a whole faces an impending harm of this magnitude, and where the measures are tailored to meeting the imminent danger, the constitution does allow some temporary restriction on our liberties that would not be tolerated in normal circumstances.
But even in times of emergency, when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights, the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers. Thus, government may not impose special restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to similar nonreligious activity. For example, if a government allows movie theaters, restaurants, concert halls, and other comparable places of assembly to remain open and unrestricted, it may not order houses of worship to close, limit their congregation size, or otherwise impede religious gatherings. Religious institutions must not be singled out for special burdens.
Today, the Department filed a Statement of Interest in support of a church in Mississippi that allegedly sought to hold parking lot worship services, in which congregants listened to their pastor preach over their car radios, while sitting in their cars in the church parking lot with their windows rolled up. The City of Greenville fined congregants $500 per person for attending these parking lot services while permitting citizens to attend nearby drive-in restaurants, even with their windows open. The City appears to have thereby singled churches out as the only essential service (as designated by the state of Mississippi) that may not operate despite following all CDC and state recommendations regarding social distancing.
As we explain in the Statement of Interest, where a state has not acted evenhandedly, it must have a compelling reason to impose restrictions on places of worship and must ensure that those restrictions are narrowly tailored to advance its compelling interest. While we believe that during this period there is a sufficient basis for the social distancing rules that have been put in place, the scope and justification of restrictions beyond that will have to be assessed based on the circumstances as they evolve.
Religion and religious worship continue to be central to the lives of millions of Americans. This is true more so than ever during this difficult time. The pandemic has changed the ways Americans live their lives. Religious communities have rallied to the critical need to protect the community from the spread of this disease by making services available online and in ways that otherwise comply with social distancing guidelines.
The United States Department of Justice will continue to ensure that religious freedom remains protected if any state or local government, in their response to COVID-19, singles out, targets, or discriminates against any house of worship for special restrictions."
#1: A K A Stone To: Gatlin (#0)
Read that you dumb anti America piece of shit!
A K A Stone posted on 2020-04-15 00:18:53 Reply Private Reply
#2: A K A Stone To: Gatlin (#0)
Let that sink in you dumb ass.
A K A Stone posted on 2020-04-15 00:19:37 Reply Private Reply
#3: Gatlin To: A K A Stone (#1)
Gatlin posted on 2020-04-15 03:33:45 Reply Private Reply
#4: Gatlin To: A K A Stone (#2)
Gatlin posted on 2020-04-15 03:51:21 Reply Private Reply
#5: Deckard To: A K A Stone, Gatlin (#1)
Game. Set. Match.
Deckard posted on 2020-04-15 04:23:29 Reply Private Reply
#6: Deckard To: Gatlin, A K A Stone (#3)
Really Tater?
Kentucky: Christians Met At Church To Defy Tyranny With Nails In Road
The New York Post reports:
Maryville Baptist Church appeared to have a near-full house for its Sunday service despite orders to avoid in-person services and the heightened risk of catching COVID-19, the Louisville Courier Journal said.
Worshipers arrived even after police warned that they would record their license plates to force them into 14-day quarantines.
Many including the defiant pastor, the Rev. Jack Roberts arrived with their plates covered, with officers instead recording their VIN numbers, the paper said.
Even more desperate measures appeared to have been taken to keep the faithful away with piles of nails blocking each entrance, according to photos shared by the Courier Journal.
Gosh, I wonder who coulda done that?
Deckard posted on 2020-04-15 04:35:07 Reply Private Reply
#7: Gatlin To: Deckard (#6)
Gatlin posted on 2020-04-15 04:50:16 Reply Private Reply
#8: Gatlin To: Deckard, A K A Stone (#5)
Gatlin posted on 2020-04-15 05:01:05 Reply Private Reply
#9: Hondo68 To: Deckard, A K A Stone (#5)
That's not good, actually more Americans are getting the shaft that way. Unacceptable.
Hondo68 posted on 2020-04-15 07:04:37 Reply Private Reply
#10: Deckard To: Gatlin (#7)
exactly what I posted. The nails were probably just some cop hijinx.
Deckard posted on 2020-04-15 08:09:12 Reply Private Reply
#11: A K A Stone To: Hondo68 (#9)
Hondo there is only one God.
A K A Stone posted on 2020-04-15 08:39:57 Reply Private Reply
#12: Gatlin To: Deckard (#10)
Gatlin posted on 2020-04-15 11:21:16 Reply Private Reply
#13: Gatlin To: A K A Stone (#11)
Gatlin posted on 2020-04-15 11:57:22 Reply Private Reply