Paula Bolyard – March 31, 2020
On Sunday, we reported that four men were arrested outside a Greensboro, N.C., abortion clinic, where they were conducting a prayer walk. Despite the fact that that a pro-life group, Love Life, had canceled its group meeting and everyone was following the rules for social distancing, the Greensboro Police Department arrested them and charged them with violating Guilford County’s stay-at-home order.
Apparently not happy with violating the First Amendment rights of four prayer warriors, the Greensboro Police Department arrested seven more people on Monday after they were caught praying in public in front of a facility that makes its money by slaughtering innocent children.
Steve Noble, an area radio host who recorded the arrests, wrote on his Facebook page that those arrested were following the county’s rules by limiting their gathering, which was held on private property with the permission of the owner, to fewer than ten people. “They were exercising their First Amendment rights [to] assemble and to exercise their religious beliefs,” said Noble. “They believe they are allowed to be there under the exemption clauses of the local county order” regarding the Chinese coronavirus rules.
Justin Reeder, the founder of Love Life, was arrested for a second time on Monday, as were Jason Oesterreich and Isaiah Burner. Also arrested were Leroy Stokes Jr., Andre Gonzalez, Richard Whittier, and John Mcatee.
In multiple videos, the men can be seen abiding by the 6-foot social distancing recommendations. Nevertheless, and despite the fact that walking alone is permissible under the guidelines, police swooped in to arrest the men, ordering ten cars to the area to deal with the peaceful prayer warriors who were there not only to pray but to counsel men and women who were contemplating having their babies killed at “A Woman’s Choice” clinic.
Noble’s video, too, shows that the men were doing nothing more than walking and praying quietly to themselves when a heavy police presence was brought in to deal with them.