{"id":2015687,"date":"2023-08-29T15:45:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T19:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-florida-pro-life-preacher-arrested-for-using-public-sidewalk\/"},"modified":"2023-08-29T15:47:28","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T19:47:28","slug":"in-depth-florida-pro-life-preacher-arrested-for-using-public-sidewalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-florida-pro-life-preacher-arrested-for-using-public-sidewalk\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Pro-Life Preacher Arrested for Sidewalk Use"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fin-depth-florida-pro-life-preacher-arrested-for-using-public-sidewalk%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2015687&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<h2>Pedestrians Forced to \u2064Break the Law or Hover in the Air<\/h2>\n<p>Pedestrians in Clearwater, \u2064Florida, have no choice but \u2063to break the law or hover in the air over\u2062 the sidewalk when \u200dtraveling past the Bread and Roses Women&#8217;s Health Center, an abortion facility on \u200bHighland Avenue.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2063 can\u2019t\u200d walk on the sidewalk or the road in that area during business hours.<\/p>\n<p>In March, \u200bthe Clearwater City Council altered its Sidewalks, Streets, and Public \u200dPlaces Code, singling \u200bout this one business for special treatment by creating\u2063 a \u201cvehicular safety\u2063 zone\u201d near Bread and Roses.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/bright\/pregnant-nurse-with-terminal-cancer-refuses-chemo-and-abortion-lives-on-to-give-birth-seeks-alternative-treatment-5438980\">Pregnant Nurse With Terminal Cancer Refuses Chemo and \u200cAbortion, Lives on to Give Birth, Seeks\u200b Alternative Treatment<\/a><br \/>\n        <br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-comp-caption\">8\/28\/2023<\/span>\n      <\/li>\n<li>\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/at-gop-debate-2024-candidates-all-pro-life-but-differ-on-details-5479719\">Candidates Divided on National Abortion Ban at GOP\u200c Debate<\/a><br \/>\n        <br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-comp-caption\">8\/23\/2023<\/span>\n      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>For more than\u2063 a\u200b decade, the public sidewalk there has been where pro-life sidewalk counselors stand\u2063 and urge women bound for an abortion to\u2062 change their mind. Often, they handed \u200dout\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-florida-pro-life-preacher-arrested-for-using-public-sidewalk\/\" title=\"Florida Pro-Life Preacher Arrested for Sidewalk Use\">pamphlets offering life-affirming options<\/a> through car windows to \u2062women driving into the parking lot.<\/p>\n<p>The sidewalk code has curtailed that \u2062work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Clearwater City Council recognizes that access to health care facilities for the \u2064purpose of obtaining \u2062medical treatment is \u200bimportant for residents and visitors \u2064to the City,&#8221; the ordinance says. \u201cThe exercise of a person&#8217;s right to protest\u200b or counsel against certain medical procedures is a First Amendment activity that must be balanced\u2062 against\u2063 another person&#8217;s right to obtain\u200c medical care and treatment in a manner \u200cauthorized by Florida law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Clearwater Police Department has been consistently called upon\u200b to respond to Bread and Roses to mediate confrontations\u200d between activists and women seeking abortions, those individuals and associated groups, according to the ordinance.<\/p>\n<p>By creating a 5-foot buffer zone, the city council believed it preserved\u200c the pro-lifers&#8217; \u200dability to \u200dmake their views \u200dknown, seen, and heard by those entering and exiting the facility.<\/p>\n<p>No pedestrian or person riding a\u2062 bicycle \u200bor operating any other nonmotorized vehicle shall enter into or cross any portion of the driveway or enter the sidewalk within 5 feet north or south of the concrete driveway, says the code.<\/p>\n<p>This restriction is in effect\u200b Monday through Saturday between 7\u200c a.m. and 6 p.m. The code targets pro-life activists but\u2064 does \u2062not apply\u2062 to those facilitating abortions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis section \u200dshall not apply,\u201d the ordinance\u2064 says, \u201cto police and\u2062 public safety officers, fire and rescue personnel, or other emergency workers in the course of\u200c their official business, or to authorized security personnel employees or agents\u200b of the hospital, medical office or clinic engaged in assisting patients and other \u200bpersons to enter or exit the clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These people may use the sidewalk; pro-lifers and the \u2064general public may not.<\/p>\n<h2>Sidewalk Is a Public Area<\/h2>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:282px\" class=\"alignright\"><figcaption>Nicholas Arthur Bosstick arrested by Clearwater Police for walking on sidewalk in front of abortion center on Aug. 26, 2023. (Courtesy Deb Maxwell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Sidewalk preacher Nicholas Arthur Bosstick of Hernando County, Florida, was arrested for the fourth week in a row on \u2063Saturday, Aug. 26, for walking on the\u200c sidewalk\u2063 in front \u2062of Bread and Roses abortion facility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#8217;t feel led to comply with an unconstitutional law,\u201d Bosstick told The Epoch \u2062Times. \u201cI have the right to walk on a public\u200c sidewalk. I&#8217;m an American. This is America. I have the right to\u200d walk on a public area and say whatever I \u200bwant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Bosstick \u200csays\u2062 he usually cries out\u200c to women, \u201cDon&#8217;t kill\u200b your baby. Have mercy on your child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And\u200c he says the sidewalk is a public area.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the police or the city of Clearwater to tell me, \u2018No you can&#8217;t go on this public \u2063sidewalk, this public easement,\u2019 I find it to be ridiculous and I got to the point where\u2062 I won&#8217;t comply with it. You can take me to jail. They could \u200dprosecute me. I see it as, I&#8217;m standing up for my rights as an American. If I don&#8217;t \u200bstand up\u2062 for my rights, we \u200close our rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Bosstick walked back and forth across \u2063the Bread and Roses driveway and police first warned\u200d him, then ticketed him,\u200d and finally arrested Mr. Bosstick, charging him\u2063 with obstruction. He was taken to the\u2063 county jail where\u200b he\u200b was processed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe longest time I&#8217;ve done in there was probably \u2064about eight or nine hours,\u201d Mr. \u2062Bosstick said. \u201cMy church usually just bails me out.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>No Place to Walk<\/h2>\n<p>Deb Maxwell of Pasco \u200cCounty, Florida, has been a regular sidewalk counselor \u200dat Bread and Roses abortion facility for 11 years. Since the code went into effect, she has been careful to \u2062stay off the sidewalk, although she says the law is \u200bunconstitutional.<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 26 while standing outside\u2064 the abortion \u200bfacility, Ms. Maxwell became thirsty, and her \u2062Gatorade drink was on one side of the driveway and she\u2064 was on the other, so she walked out onto busy \u200dHighland Avenue to avoid\u2062 the sidewalk and then walked back and forth using the road \u200cmultiple times.<\/p>\n<p>Clearwater Police, who guard the\u2064 abortion facility while it is in operation, gave Ms. Maxwell a ticket \u200dfor not using\u200d the sidewalk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can&#8217;t walk across the sidewalk, and\u200c you can&#8217;t go out into the traffic,\u201d Ms. Maxwell told The Epoch Times. \u201cHow are you going to get across? There\u2064 are no \u2062crossings \u200canywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:409px\" class=\"alignleft\"><figcaption>A \u200bticket for not using the sidewalk, issued\u200c to Deb Maxwell by Clearwater Police. (Courtesy of Deb\u200d Maxwell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Attorney Jerry Theophilopoulos \u200dhas defended several sidewalk \u200ccases since the ordinance went into effect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey&#8217;ve taken away the sidewalk from the public, \u2064which would require any individual wanting to head down that sidewalk to enter the roadway in order to be in compliance with\u2063 this unconstitutional \u2064ordinance,\u201d Mr. Theophilopoulos told \u2064The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow law enforcement has \u2063decided they will ticket individuals for walking in the \u2063street, which directly conflicts with our Florida pedestrian statute that permits an individual, when a sidewalk is not provided, to enter the \u200croadway to \u200bcontinue on their route. This unfortunately, once again,\u200d shows you the bias of\u200d law enforcement and who they&#8217;re siding with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Florida Preborn Rescue Inc. has\u200b brought a lawsuit against the City of Clearwater, asking a judge to\u2062 declare the sidewalk ordinance unconstitutional. Mr. Theophilopoulos represents \u200bFlorida Preborn \u2062Rescue in this \u200bcase.<\/p>\n<p>The buffer zone around the entrance to the abortion \u200cfacility does not end the desire \u2063of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-perfect-ranking-from-planned-parenthood-5-what-to-find-out-about-biden-hhs-nominees-abortion-record\/\" title=\"\u2018A Perfect Ranking From Planned Parenthood\u2019: 5 WHAT TO FIND OUT ABOUT Biden HHS Nominee\u2019s Abortion Record\">pro-life individuals<\/a> to speak with women seeking abortions. Instead, the buffer zone eliminates the chance of a \u200cquiet conversation\u200b or the discreet provision of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-i-was-not-just-a-lump-of-cells-pa-senate-candidate-conceived-in-rape-accuses-dr-oz-of-flip-flopping-on-abortion\/\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018I Was Not Just A Lump Of Cells\u2019: PA Senate Candidate Conceived In Rape Accuses Dr. Oz Of Flip-Flopping On Abortion\">pro-life literature<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The case, in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida Tampa Division, \u2064alleges Clearwater\u2019s ordinance takes a \u2062pro-abortion position by allowing abortion workers \u200cto stand in the buffer \u200bzone and promote abortion, but pro-life people are treated differently because of the content of their speech.<\/p>\n<h2>A New Front<\/h2>\n<p>This sidewalk buffer\u2062 zone is not an isolated case.<\/p>\n<p>In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the law bans protests within 20 feet of a health care facility. Pittsburgh requires a 15-foot buffer zone.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063Supreme Court in\u200d 2014 struck down \u200da Massachusetts law mandating a 35-foot buffer zone around abortion\u200d centers. Today in Massachusetts, police may require pro-lifers to move back to 25 feet if police determine they have \u201csubstantially impeded access to or departure from an \u200dentrance or driveway to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-what-judge-ketanji-brown-jackson-said-about-roe-v-wade-in-the-past\/\" title=\"Here\u2019s What Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Said About Roe V. Wade In The Past\">reproductive health care facility<\/a>,&#8221; state code says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a new front \u2064opened by pro-abortion rights local officials\u2064 in other areas across the country,\u201d\u200d Peter Breen, executive vice president and head of litigation at the Thomas More Society, told The Epoch \u200dTimes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pedestrians in Clearwater, Florida, face a dilemma near the Bread and Roses Women&#8217;s Health Center. To comply with the law, they must either defy it or float above the sidewalk. Walking on the sidewalk or road is prohibited during business hours. The Clearwater City Council recently modified this regulation in March.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2015688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2015687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2015687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2015688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2015687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2015687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2015687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}