The Freedom for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed two lawsuits on behalf of Jeff Gray, a U.S. Army veteran, after he was arrested and issued a criminal citation for holding a sign saying “God Bless The Homeless Vets” outside of two different government buildings in Georgia.
Gray stood on a public sidewalk by Alpharetta City Hall with his sign and again at Blackshear City Council and both times, police officers told Gray that he was not allowed to be outside government buildings with his sign, leading to an arrest and a criminal citation, according to the lawsuits.
In response, FIRE announced that it had filed two lawsuits against Alpharetta officers Arick Furr and Harold Shoffeitt and Blackshear police Chief Chris Wright Tuesday for violating his First Amendment right to freedom of speech and expression, according to the press release.
“I have been harassed, trespassed, handcuffed and arrested countless times for peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights,” Gray said in the press release. “My intention is to ensure that all Americans from the wealthiest millionaire to the poorest homeless person can exercise these rights without fear of consequence from our government.”
Gray stood outside of Alpharetta City Hall on Jan. 27, 2022, holding a sign that read “God Bless the Homeless Vets” for several minutes before being approached by Furr, who told Gray that he could not “panhandle” in front of city hall, to “move along” and “leave the downtown area, period.” Gray continued to stand outside city hallFurr confronted him again and demanded identification, to which Gray showed his driver’s license but did not give it to Furr.
Gray asked Furr what “reasonable, articulable suspicion that crime is afoot” that the officer needed to have his ID, to which Furr replied that “panhandling” was illegal in Alpharetta, according to the lawsuit.
“When Gray laughed in disbelief and took a step away from Lt. Furr, the lieutenant immediately grabbed Gray’s right wrist and ordered him to ‘put your hands behind your back,’ saying, ‘I’m not going to deal with you,’” the lawsuit said.
Read the full story here.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
