Seattle police arrest street preacher for reading the Bible: Risk to public safety
July 3, 2022 | Washington
Seattle police arrested a street preacher on charges of being a risk to public safety for reading his Bible aloud at a public park near an LGBT pride event.
Matthew Meinecke, who identifies himself as The Seattle Preacher on Twitter, was surrounded by Seattle police officers as he was reading his Bible and was subsequently arrested and fingerprinted at a police station before being released.
“SPD has enough resources to send 10 police officers to arrest a preacher reading his Bible in a public park. Because it’s such a horrible crime now!” Meinecke wrote on Twitter, posting a video showing his arrest.
“So at this point, we can no longer stand by. The risk that you pose for public safety by remaining here can be mitigated if you leave. It’s your last chance,” a police officer can be heard saying.
The preacher told the officers, “I don’t want to leave because I’m not in danger.”
“I was at the Seattle Center, reading the Bible, not aggressively preaching, not stirring people up, not anything. People throwing things. People vandalizing our property. I think about 10 police officers showed up,” the pastor told journalist Jonathan Choe with the Discovery Institute.
“Your job is not to silence me and move me. Why are they so offended by words? I just believe in using the word of God.”… (Excerpt from The Christian Post)
