April, Sure has implications for Christians. Thanks for sharing. Vicki ----- Original Message ----- From: "April Reisinger" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 2:35 PM Subject: File stripped of html > This is a multi-part message in MIME format. > > ------=_NextPart_000_0150_01C4B9E7.713996C0 > Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > Philadelphia Police Arrest 11 Christians for 'Hate Crimes' at Homosexual = > 'Outfest' 10/13/2004 > > By Robert Knight > > Group is jailed for "ethnic intimidation," "criminal conspiracy," = > several other charges. > > Ten adults and a teen-ager who showed up to sing hymns and carry signs = > peacefully at Philadelphia's latest homosexual celebration were arrested = > on Sunday > > and spent 21 hours in jail. > > According to Michael Marcavage, founder of Repent America, which = > organized the protest, the 11 defendants were charged with three = > felonies and five misdemeanors, > > including a "hate crime." If convicted on all counts, the defendants = > could face 47 years in prison, he said. > > The counts read to them by the bail commissioner included: > > List of 8 items > > 1. "ethnic intimidation" (2nd-degree felony "hate crime"). > > 2. "criminal conspiracy" (1st-degree felony). > > 3. "possession of instruments of crime" (1st-degree misdemeanor). > > 4. "reckless endangerment of another person" (2nd-degree felony). > > 5. "riot" (3rd-degree felony). > > 6. "failure to disperse" (2nd-degree misdemeanor). > > 7. "disorderly conduct" (2nd-degree misdemeanor). > > 8. "obstructing a highway" (3rd-degree misdemeanor)., > > list end > > The "ethnic intimidation" charge was made under Pennsylvania's Ethnic = > Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act, the state's "hate crimes" = > law, to which > > "sexual orientation" was added recently as a victim category. > > Some of the charges may have been dropped since the defendants were = > released. Philadelphia Police spokeswoman Officer Maria Ibrahim said the = > current charges > > were: "criminal conspiracy," "failure to disperse," "disorderly conduct" = > and "obstructing a highway." The District Attorney's office had not = > returned a > > call to Concerned Women for America's (CWA's) Culture & Family Institute = > as of press time. > > "We're going to do whatever it takes to ensure that the Philadelphia = > Police Department and the city are held accountable for this," Brian = > Fahling of the > > American Family Association (AFA) Center for Law and Policy, who is = > representing the Christians, told CWA's Culture & Family Institute. "As = > far as we can > > tell, this was utterly uncalled for and has no legal justification." > > The group had arrived at about 1 p.m. at the Outfest National Coming Out = > Day street fair, a music and arts festival celebrating homosexuality = > that the city > > helps sponsor with a $22,500 grant. > > The defendants, who range in age from 17 to 72, were confronted almost = > immediately by the "Pink Angels," a group that blocked them by = > interlocking their > > arms, shouting obscenities, and shoving large, pink Styrofoam cutouts of = > angels in front of them. But the only ones arrested were the Christians, = > the police > > confirmed. > > "We were on a corner across the street from a stage where a transvestite = > was performing, and we were singing 'Blessed Be the Name of the Lord,'" = > Marcavage > > said. > > Marcavage, 25, said a documentary filmmaker captured the entire episode, = > using two different camera angles. "I was miked, so all my discussions = > with the > > police are recorded," he said. "We did what they asked, and walked down = > the street. A few minutes later, the police stopped us and put us in = > paddy wagons." > > Police released the Christians on their own signature after they spent = > the night in jail, except for one 67-year-old woman who was still being = > held today > > based on a charge lodged years ago at a pro-life demonstration at an = > abortion clinic, Marcavage said. The woman had been paroled, and the AFA = > Law Center > > was faxing a letter to the District Attorney today seeking her release, = > he said. > > Marcavage, who is no stranger to protests, was arrested earlier this = > year along with Urban Family Council board member William Devlin and = > others in West > > Chester, Pennsylvania, for blocking the removal of a Ten Commandments = > plaque on city property. The plaque was temporarily covered until a = > court ruling > > uncovered it, Marcavage said. > > Philadelphia was also in the news during the summer when the Phillies = > baseball team hosted "Gay Day" at Citizens Bank Park, featuring the = > first pitch thrown > > out by a player from a lesbian softball team. When Christians led by = > Marcavage unfurled a banner that read: "Homosexuality Is Sin; Christ Can = > Set You Free," > > two homosexual couples stood and began kissing. Then some people tried = > to tear down the banner, and security forces came and ejected the = > Christians from > > the ballpark. No one else was evicted. > > Philadelphia has increased its visibility recently in homosexual circles = > by buying ads touting the city as "gay-friendly" in various = > homosexual-themed magazines > > and travel guides. One of them depicts Betsy Ross sewing a rainbow flag = > instead of the first American flag. > > Marcavage says he is undeterred by the arrest, but says he found it odd = > that they were released merely on their own signatures after being = > charged with > > "three felonies and five misdemeanors." > > "They're criminalizing Christianity through this homosexual agenda," = > Marcavage said. "It's happening right here, in the birthplace of = > American freedom." > > Incidentally, the last four digits of Philadelphia's main police phone = > number are: 1776. > > Printer Friendly Version > > Recent Articles > > Research Condemns Sex-Change Operations > > content/audioicon-sm > > "Teresa Heinz Kerry Takes a Swing at Stay-At-Home Moms" > > Government Works to Enforce Equal Access for Boy Scouts > > Teresa Takes a Swing at Stay-At-Home Moms, Says CWALAC > > Americans to Boldly Answer 'Lawless Ruling' in Massachusetts - at the = > Ballot Box, CWA Says > > School District Bans Halloween to Avoid Offending Witches > > Dr. Crouse Returns from U.N. Conference in Malaysia > > content/audioicon-sm > > "United We Stand Rally Strives to Keep Same-sex Marriage Concern Alive" > > "Rally sparks local gay marriage debate" > > "Foes of gay marriage plan week of rallies" > > > ------=_NextPart_000_0150_01C4B9E7.713996C0 > Content-Type: text/html; > charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> > <HTML><HEAD> > <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = > charset=3Diso-8859-1"> > <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=3DGENERATOR> > <STYLE></STYLE> > </HEAD> > <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> > <DIV><FONT face=3DCourier size=3D2> > <P>Philadelphia Police Arrest 11 Christians for =91Hate Crimes=92 at = > Homosexual=20 > =91Outfest=92 10/13/2004</P> > <P>By Robert Knight</P> > <P>Group is jailed for "ethnic intimidation," "criminal conspiracy," = > several=20 > other charges.</P> > <P>Ten adults and a teen-ager who showed up to sing hymns and carry = > signs=20 > peacefully at Philadelphia=92s latest homosexual celebration were = > arrested on=20 > Sunday</P> > <P>and spent 21 hours in jail.</P> > <P>According to Michael Marcavage, founder of Repent America, which = > organized=20 > the protest, the 11 defendants were charged with three felonies and five = > > misdemeanors,</P> > <P>including a "hate crime." If convicted on all counts, the defendants = > could=20 > face 47 years in prison, he said.</P> > <P>The counts read to them by the bail commissioner included:</P> > <P>List of 8 items</P> > <P>1. "ethnic intimidation" (2nd-degree felony "hate crime").</P> > <P>2. "criminal conspiracy" (1st-degree felony).</P> > <P>3. "possession of instruments of crime" (1st-degree = > misdemeanor).</P> > <P>4. "reckless endangerment of another person" (2nd-degree = > felony).</P> > <P>5. "riot" (3rd-degree felony).</P> > <P>6. "failure to disperse" (2nd-degree misdemeanor).</P> > <P>7. "disorderly conduct" (2nd-degree misdemeanor).</P> > <P>8. "obstructing a highway" (3rd-degree misdemeanor).,</P> > <P>list end</P> > <P>The "ethnic intimidation" charge was made under Pennsylvania=92s = > Ethnic=20 > Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act, the state=92s "hate = > crimes" law, to=20 > which</P> > <P>"sexual orientation" was added recently as a victim category.</P> > <P>Some of the charges may have been dropped since the defendants were = > released.=20 > Philadelphia Police spokeswoman Officer Maria Ibrahim said the current=20 > charges</P> > <P>were: "criminal conspiracy," "failure to disperse," "disorderly = > conduct" and=20 > "obstructing a highway." The District Attorney=92s office had not = > returned a</P> > <P>call to Concerned Women for America=92s (CWA=92s) Culture & = > Family Institute=20 > as of press time.</P> > <P>"We=92re going to do whatever it takes to ensure that the = > Philadelphia Police=20 > Department and the city are held accountable for this," Brian Fahling of = > the</P> > <P>American Family Association (AFA) Center for Law and Policy, who is=20 > representing the Christians, told CWA=92s Culture & Family = > Institute. "As far=20 > as we can</P> > <P>tell, this was utterly uncalled for and has no legal = > justification."</P> > <P>The group had arrived at about 1 p.m. at the Outfest National Coming = > Out Day=20 > street fair, a music and arts festival celebrating homosexuality that = > the=20 > city</P> > <P>helps sponsor with a $22,500 grant.</P> > <P>The defendants, who range in age from 17 to 72, were confronted = > almost=20 > immediately by the "Pink Angels," a group that blocked them by = > interlocking=20 > their</P> > <P>arms, shouting obscenities, and shoving large, pink Styrofoam cutouts = > of=20 > angels in front of them. But the only ones arrested were the Christians, = > the=20 > police</P> > <P>confirmed.</P> > <P>"We were on a corner across the street from a stage where a = > transvestite was=20 > performing, and we were singing =91Blessed Be the Name of the Lord,=92"=20 > Marcavage</P> > <P>said.</P> > <P>Marcavage, 25, said a documentary filmmaker captured the entire = > episode,=20 > using two different camera angles. "I was miked, so all my discussions = > with=20 > the</P> > <P>police are recorded," he said. "We did what they asked, and walked = > down the=20 > street. A few minutes later, the police stopped us and put us in paddy=20 > wagons."</P> > <P>Police released the Christians on their own signature after they = > spent the=20 > night in jail, except for one 67-year-old woman who was still being held = > > today</P> > <P>based on a charge lodged years ago at a pro-life demonstration at an = > abortion=20 > clinic, Marcavage said. The woman had been paroled, and the AFA Law = > Center</P> > <P>was faxing a letter to the District Attorney today seeking her = > release, he=20 > said.</P> > <P>Marcavage, who is no stranger to protests, was arrested earlier this = > year=20 > along with Urban Family Council board member William Devlin and others = > in=20 > West</P> > <P>Chester, Pennsylvania, for blocking the removal of a Ten Commandments = > plaque=20 > on city property. The plaque was temporarily covered until a court = > ruling</P> > <P>uncovered it, Marcavage said.</P> > <P>Philadelphia was also in the news during the summer when the Phillies = > > baseball team hosted "Gay Day" at Citizens Bank Park, featuring the = > first pitch=20 > thrown</P> > <P>out by a player from a lesbian softball team. When Christians led by=20 > Marcavage unfurled a banner that read: "Homosexuality Is Sin; Christ Can = > Set You=20 > Free,"</P> > <P>two homosexual couples stood and began kissing. Then some people = > tried to=20 > tear down the banner, and security forces came and ejected the = > Christians=20 > from</P> > <P>the ballpark. No one else was evicted.</P> > <P>Philadelphia has increased its visibility recently in homosexual = > circles by=20 > buying ads touting the city as "gay-friendly" in various = > homosexual-themed=20 > magazines</P> > <P>and travel guides. One of them depicts Betsy Ross sewing a rainbow = > flag=20 > instead of the first American flag.</P> > <P>Marcavage says he is undeterred by the arrest, but says he found it = > odd that=20 > they were released merely on their own signatures after being charged = > with</P> > <P>"three felonies and five misdemeanors."</P> > <P>"They=92re criminalizing Christianity through this homosexual = > agenda,"=20 > Marcavage said. "It=92s happening right here, in the birthplace of = > American=20 > freedom."</P> > <P>Incidentally, the last four digits of Philadelphia=92s main police = > phone number=20 > are: 1776.</P> > <P>Printer Friendly Version</P> > <P>Recent Articles</P> > <P>Research Condemns Sex-Change Operations</P> > <P>content/audioicon-sm</P> > <P>"Teresa Heinz Kerry Takes a Swing at Stay-At-Home Moms"</P> > <P>Government Works to Enforce Equal Access for Boy Scouts</P> > <P>Teresa Takes a Swing at Stay-At-Home Moms, Says CWALAC</P> > <P>Americans to Boldly Answer =91Lawless Ruling=92 in Massachusetts =96 = > at the Ballot=20 > Box, CWA Says</P> > <P>School District Bans Halloween to Avoid Offending Witches</P> > <P>Dr. Crouse Returns from U.N. Conference in Malaysia</P> > <P>content/audioicon-sm</P> > <P>"United We Stand Rally Strives to Keep Same-sex Marriage Concern = > Alive"</P> > <P>"Rally sparks local gay marriage debate"</P> > <P>"Foes of gay marriage plan week of = > rallies"</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> > > ------=_NextPart_000_0150_01C4B9E7.713996C0--