We recently reported on how a street preacher, Damon Atkins, in Reading, Pennsylvania was arrested on June 3, 2023, after he started to quote a Bible verse at a Pride Event.

The prosecutors involved in the case have now dropped all charges against Atkins, the Christian Post reports.

Atkins, who was holding a sign that read, “Jesus said go and sin no more“, was on a public sidewalk across the street from the event. He had been previously warned by a police officer not to speak.

When Atkins began to quote 1 Corinthians 14:33, officers rushed over, handcuffed Atkins, and hauled him away.

Anyone watching the video, including those who didn’t necessarily agree with Atkins’s views, said they were shocked by what they saw. Atkins had broken no law and in fact, some argued that the police had violated Atkins’ Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion guaranteed in the US Constitution.

According to the Christian Post, after the video of Atkins’ arrest went viral, the Reading police department was inundated with ‘hundreds of calls’ complaining about its treatment of Atkins.

Though the prosecutor has dropped charges against Atkins, I suspect this case is far from resolved and wonder if a lawsuit is being considered against the Reading Police Department for the alleged violation of Atkins’ constitutional rights.

When the Apostle Paul and Silas were arrested and beaten in Thyatira after they cast the spirit of python out of a slave girl, they both called the magistrates to account for their illegal treatment. Both Paul and Silas were Roman citizens and under Roman law, they could not be beaten without a trial and as well had to be tried in a Roman court.

The Thyatira magistrates who had violated both these provisions were terrified when they found out about their Roman citizenship. When the magistrates released Paul and Silas from prison the next day, the two refused to leave until the magistrates personally visited them, apologized, and escorted them out of the prison (Acts 16:37-39).

READ: Charges dropped against preacher arrested at pride event; police ‘inundated’ with complaints