A U.S. Army veteran and retired truck driver has secured a legal victory after being issued a criminal citation for holding a sign with the message “God bless the homeless vets” in front of a Georgia city hall.
Jeff Gray was issued a citation by police in Blackshear, Georgia because he didn’t have a government permit to hold the sign on public property. Gray filed a lawsuit with the help of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the University of Georgia’s (UGA) First Amendment Clinic, who argued it was unconstitutional to require citizens to get approval from the mayor and city council to exercise their right to protest, according to FIRE’s press release.
In response to the settlement, the city has rescinded the ordinance, vowed to train officers on the First Amendment and donated money $1,791 to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. The amount of the donation symbolizes the year the First Amendment was ratified.
“We held the town of Blackshear, Georgia, accountable for violating my civil liberties, and we did so in a classy, meaningful and effective manner,” Gray said of the lawsuit.
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So let’s tweak the whole thing to: In 2011, Gray started uploading recordings of what he calls “civil rights investigations” to his YouTube channel, HonorYourOath Civil Rights Investigations. In his videos, Gray films interactions with police and other public figures reacting to his peaceful demonstrations.
FIRE filed two lawsuits on Gray’s behalf on Jan. 31. One lawsuit was against two of its police officers and the city of Alpharetta, Georgia and the other against Blackshear’s police chief. The case in Alpharetta is still pending.
In Blackshear, the city’s Police Chief Chris Wright issued Gray a criminal citation and told him that he had to have a permit for a “parade, procession, or demonstration” to hold his sign outside city hall.
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Wright admitted it was “kind of silly,” but explained that in accordance with the city’s ordinance, according to a press release. FIRE argued the ordinance was nearly identical to a law struck down by the Supreme Court in 1969. Gray would have to send a letter to the mayor and city council explaining the purpose of his demonstration and obtain official approval to do so.
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“Any reasonable officer should know that that is not constitutional,” FIRE attorney Alex Steinbaugh told Fox News Digital. “The First Amendment protects the right to protest, but they said the law was silly and enforced it anyway. I think it’s a useful reminder to cities that they shouldn’t just leave unconstitutional laws gathering dust on the books because sooner or later a police officer is going to pick up that book and throw it at somebody.”
“If no less than the Supreme Court has said you can’t be enforcing these types of laws, why keep them on the books? It’s only going to land you in trouble,” he added.
The city of Blackshear, GA did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
