{"id":2582441,"date":"2026-03-21T16:19:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T20:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-street-preachers-fight-back-with-lawsuits-after-getting-arrested-in-major-american-city\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T16:21:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T20:21:30","slug":"christian-street-preachers-fight-back-with-lawsuits-after-getting-arrested-in-major-american-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-street-preachers-fight-back-with-lawsuits-after-getting-arrested-in-major-american-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Street Preachers Fight Back with Lawsuits After Getting Arrested in Major American City"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/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%2Fchristian-street-preachers-fight-back-with-lawsuits-after-getting-arrested-in-major-american-city%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=2582441&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--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-health-care-worker-with-access-to-deadly-chemicals-tells-people-to-take-ice-agents-on-dates-then-poison-them-or-use-water-guns-to-spray-toxins-in-agents-faces-2\/\" title=\"Watch: Health Care Worker with Access to Deadly Chemicals Tells People to Take ICE Agents on Dates, Then Poison Them or Use Water Guns to Spray Toxins in Agents&#039; Faces\">recent article reports<\/a> on a lawsuit filed by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) alleging that Chicago has unlawfully targeted Christian street preachers, infringing their First Amendment rights and religious freedom. It notes that while America isn\u2019t broadly a hotspot for Christian persecution, some left-leaning U.S. cities have cracked down on Christian expression.<\/p>\n<p>Key points:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The ACLJ\u2019s March 14 release describes three Christian street preachers detained in Millennium Park. One, Brett raio, was arrested and charged for sharing the gospel, though the case was dismissed before trial after video evidence exonerated him. His two friends, Reetik and Perez, were later arrested at the same location.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The ACLJ argues Chicago\u2019s law requires permits only for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >amplification exceeding conversational levels<\/a> at 100 feet; preachers argue they are being arrested simply for using amplification, not for violating noise rules.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The lawsuit contends the arrests amount to unconstitutional targeting of preachers and violate the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act, accusing Chicago of placing a significant burden on religious exercise.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The ACLJ asserts that free speech is a God-given right and vows to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-committee-deadlocks-on-becerra-nomination\/\" title=\"Senate Committee Deadlocks on Becerra Nomination\">pursue legal action<\/a> to prevent what it describes as anti-Christian discrimination, aiming to keep \u201cthe gospel airwaves open\u201d in Chicago.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>America is far from a hotbed of Christian persecution, with that unfortunate distinctive mostly belonging to Islamic and communist countries.<\/p>\n<p>But some left-wing American cities are cracking down on the Christian faith more fervently in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>According to a new lawsuit from the American Center for Law and Justice, Chicago recently detained three Christian street preachers &mdash; all of whom were &ldquo;wrongfully arrested for nothing more than sharing the Gospel in public.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boston-pride-organization-dissolves-over-allegations-of-structural-racism-anti-transgender-bias\/\" title=\"Boston Pride Organization \u2018Dissolves\u2019 Over Allegations Of Structural Racism, Anti...Transgender Bias\">legal advocacy group<\/a> said in a March 14 <a href=\"https:\/\/aclj.org\/religious-liberty\/chicagos-war-on-religious-freedom-aclj-files-major-lawsuit-to-stop-unconstitutional-arrests-of-christian-preachers?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release<\/a> that street preacher Brett Raio was arrested and charged for sharing the gospel in Millennium Park.<\/p>\n<p>Although his case was dismissed before trial &mdash; with the ACLJ showing video evidence that exonerated him &mdash; his two friends, Reetik and Perez, were soon arrested at the same spot.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); 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\t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Beyond getting slapped with spurious charges, the three friends were held in jail for more than seven hours.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is no coincidence. It is a deliberate effort to silence religious expression,&rdquo; the ACLJ said.<\/p>\n<p>Chicago law &ldquo;only requires permits for amplification that exceeds conversational levels at 100 feet away,&rdquo; meaning that preachers are allowed to use it as long as they follow the rules.<\/p>\n<p>But police are simply arresting any preacher who uses amplification at all, according to the ACLJ.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They are not taking any measures to determine if the speech actually violates the noise ordinance; they are just pulling up in their squad cars and immediately arresting the preachers,&rdquo; the group said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This has all the markings of unconstitutional targeting of preachers, displaying an unlawful anti-Christian animus. And with today&rsquo;s lawsuit, we are taking major legal action to fight back.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit accused the city of Chicago and its law enforcement apparatus of violating the constitutional rights of the three Christians.<\/p>\n<p>Their fundamental freedoms were infringed upon when they were targeted &ldquo;for their religious message&rdquo; and unlawfully silenced, the ACLJ contended.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit also argued that the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act was violated, with the Chicago noise policy marking &ldquo;a significant burden on our clients&rsquo; religious exercise.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Unfortunately, we know that this policy in Chicago goes well beyond these incidents and is part of a far-reaching policy at one of the busiest public sites in the city,&rdquo; the ACLJ said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Free speech is not a privilege granted by the government &mdash; it is a God-given right enshrined in our Constitution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The ACLJ warned that Chicago officials are not allowed to use regulations as a pretense for religious discrimination &mdash; vowing to keep the gospel airwaves open in the Windy City.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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The ACLJ says three street preachers were detained in Chicago for simply sharing the Gospel. One, Brett Raio, was arrested in Millennium Park; his case was dismissed after video evidence cleared him, but two others, Reetik and Perez, were arrested at the same location. The group says the men were jailed for more than seven hours, labeling the arrests a deliberate effort to silence religious expression.<\/p>\n<p>The ACLJ contends Chicago\u2019s noise ordinance largely requires permits only if amplification exceeds conversational level at 100 feet, meaning preachers should be allowed to speak as long as they follow rules. Instead, the organization says police are arresting preachers who use amplification at all, without assessing whether speech actually violates the ordinance. The lawsuit accuses Chicago and its law enforcement of violating the Christians\u2019 constitutional rights and the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act, arguing the city\u2019s policy imposes a significant burden on religious exercise. It emphasizes that free speech is a fundamental right, not a government-granted privilege, and pledges to challenge the city to keep gospel preaching accessible in Chicago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2582442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Michael-Featured-Image-820.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5695,38845,32311,76301],"class_list":["post-2582441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-christianity","tag-civil-liberties","tag-free-speech","tag-street-preachers"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Michael-Featured-Image-820.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582441","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582441"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2582445,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582441\/revisions\/2582445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2582442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}