Criminal charges against street preachers dismissed

A group of five Washington state Christian street preachers who received prior approval of their public evangelism efforts but were nevertheless charged criminally under the guise of violating a noise ordinance won dismissals with the assistance of a nonprofit First Amendment legal defense group.

Police in Washougal, Washington, cited the five for disturbing the peace outside a high school in November. The group obtained approval for their activities from a code enforcement officer prior to the incident.

The street preachers stood on a public sidewalk at the edge of the high-school parking lot, holding signs and speaking to students as they left school after classes had ended. A school resource officer of the Washougal Police Department confronted the street preachers, stating they were breaking the city noise ordinance and telling them the school did not welcome their “protesting.”

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