Full Quiver Mission and PA Pastor Win Injunction Against Police!!

Murch Family and Local Church Members Sue the City of York, PA in Federal Court!

Five members of the Murch Family, Pastor Jim Grove of Heritage Baptist Church in Loganville, PA and four of his church members sued four York Police officers, the City of York and its Mayor in Federal District Court in Harrisburg. The lawsuit stems from the incident at the city-sponsored Halloween Parade last October. At the beginning of that event, we got out in front of the parade by several blocks, and walked the parade route with gospel signs, pictures of aborted babies, literature and street preaching.

Pastor Grove had been doing this for the past four years without incident, but this year we introduced them to the dead baby photos and the crowd was sorely displeased. Police stole Full Quiver Mission's signs. Pastor Grove had an attorney write a letter demanding return of the signs, rental money for having kept them out of commission and a public apology. The City's response was to send Pastor Grove a summons for three charges 30 days after the event took place!

The day before his preliminary hearing, we filed suit for abuse of our rights "under color of authority". We also applied for an Emergency Temporary Restraining Order against the York Police. The federal Judge looked at our video of the event and heard testimony from Pastor Grove and Bruce Evan Murch. She also spoke to the City Solicitor. She came to a couple of interesting conclusions. First, she wrote that we have a "high likelihood of success on the merits" of our case (in other words, she thinks we'll win based on what she's seen). Second, she concluded that we would be in danger of our rights being violated again at two demonstrations we had planned around the preliminary hearing date. She concluded that there was a real danger that we would be arrested or have more signs confiscated if she did not intervene with a protective order!

It is so unusual for us to actually prevail in the corrupt court system that generally oppresses us, that it took us rather by surprise. We represented ourselves, with Bruce speaking for his children. Aaron (19), Benjamin (17), Lauren (15), and Samuel (14) all had signs forcibly pulled from their hands (Aaron was physically restrained by an officer who grabbed him from behind while another snatched the sign) by Police. Pastor Grove was aided in writing the Complaint by Pastor Ron McRae of the Street Preacher's Fellowship.

Tyranny in the Court Room

The next day was Pastor Grove's Preliminary Hearing. Even though this case had attracted huge media and public attention, the authorities scheduled the hearing in a tiny Magistrate's court. As supporters and witnesses for Pastor Grove poured into the outside lobby, court officials allowed only "subpoenaed witnesses" into the court room. Pastor Grove issued no subpoenas because he didn't need to. None of his witnesses needed to be forced to appear. Nineteen witnesses for the Police were allowed into the court room, while only two were allowed in for Pastor Grove. Several people in the lobby, including Bruce, raised a fuss that we were being denied access to a public hearing. At one point, a Sheriff's Deputy threatened two men with arrest for trying to go in, and told everyone they would be arrested if they tried to view the hearing. A few minutes later, he came out again, proclaimed that the crowd in the lobby was a "fire hazard" and ordered everyone out of the building into the rain outside.

Bruce Evan Murch immediately had his kids retrieve the gigantic photos of aborted babies, and we set up at the intersection where the Magistrate's office was. The press came out immediately. We told them the situation, and one of them tried to get into the court room. Access was denied. Evan, our nine-year-old son immediately began holding forth to the cars stopped at the traffic lights. He preached non-stop for almost two hours in the cold and rain. The zeal of the Lord consumes him.

When the hearing was over, five of us who intended to testify for Pastor Grove at the hearing went directly to the District Attorney's Office to file a complaint against the Deputy Sheriff who threatened witnesses with arrest if they dared to enter the court room. We await a response (but we don't expect much).

 After the Preliminary Hearing, we took to the streets again, setting up in the York City Square near the County Court House. The preachers took turns preaching to the lunch time crowd and passed out literature, while we set up our big signs around the Square. The reaction was the typical fare. We are worse than the abortionists because we show pictures of what they actually do! And we're guilty of child abuse because our children hold up signs depicting the truth about abortion. And... well, you know.

Pastor Ron McRae preaches in City Square

Calling the Kettle Black

The primary charge against Pastor Grove is "parading without a permit". In spite of the fact that the roads were closed and many people were walking in the roads, including vendors, and in spite of the fact that the church members had been doing this same thing (without our particular signs) for years, the Police claim we were parading without a permit.

BUT WAIT!! The route that the parade was held on was owned by the State, not the City. By law, the City of York needs to get a permit from the State to close it down. It failed to do so! So the City of York arrested Pastor Grove for something he was not guilty of, but THEY WERE! This fact was admitted by Police at the preliminary hearing. There is little doubt that Pastor Grove will win at trial, in spite of all the lies and attempts to suppress the truth.

It also seems likely that we will win our lawsuit in Federal Court, which is seeking over $50,000 in damages. We were just hoping to get new signs with a modest award, but if the City of York would buy us a new van to replace our old 1978 Dodge with 180,000 miles on it...

 

 

 

RETURN TO FULL QUIVER MISSION HOME PAGE

TO LINK TO THIS STORY, USE  http://www.fullquivermission.com/York_Trial.htm

You are visitor

since June 1, 2003