Pastor Guilty for ProLife Demonstration

[Marcia]

An Oakland, California, pastor could face jail time for expressing his pro-life views.
Pastor Walter Hoye ran into trouble with an abortion clinic while doing an informational picket. Dennis Howard, leader of The Movement for a Better America, believes Hoye is innocent.

"His approach was simply to carry a sign that said 'Jesus Loves You. Can We Help?' and offering those who wanted it some information about alternatives to abortion," Howard explains.

A complaint was filed and Hoye was found guilty in spite of proof to the contrary. "There was a video taken of him doing this, and it shows that he was not harassing anybody," Howard points out.....

Pastor Hoye faces up to two years in jail and a $4,000 fine. <MORE>

Source
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=418990

I wonder if he was too close to the abortion clinic? I think there is a certain distance you have to maintain. But the article does not address that.

 

[Amy.G]

Marcia, I found a couple of articles.


This One:

He was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of unlawfully approaching abortion center customers in violation of Oakland’s recently enacted ordinance prohibiting any contact within 100 feet of an abortion business.

And this one.


I think we can expect more of this type thing. It won't be long before pastors are arrested for preaching against certain sins in their own church.

 

[dragonfly]

I guess he should learn to obey the law.

 

[Palatka51]

I guess he should learn to obey the law.

Even if the law murders human life?

 

[LeBuick]

I support the guy and would have joined if he was doing this peaceably...


However, it's hard to imagine a pro-lifer in from of an abortion clinic exclusive carrying a sign that said 'Jesus Loves You. Can We Help?'. I have a feeling there is more or another side to this story.

"His approach was simply to carry a sign that said 'Jesus Loves You. Can We Help?' and offering those who wanted it some information about alternatives to abortion," Howard explains.

 

[LeBuick]

Supposedly this is the guy. I have to say this for him, he has great patience not to get mad at that idiot who keeps putting their sign in front of his. You would think this was a Hollywood skit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcKPndbwKsg

 

[LeBuick]

I think this is a stupid law but here is his crime...

http://jasonaclark.com/tag/walter-hoye/

The ordinance prohibits anyone, within 100 feet of the entrance to a “reproductive health facility,” to approach within eight feet of a client “for the purpose of counseling, harassing, or interfering” with that person. In the case of Walter Hoye, “harassing” meant holding up a sign.

 

[Marcia]

Marcia, I found a couple of articles.


This One:


And this one.


I think we can expect more of this type thing. It won't be long before pastors are arrested for preaching against certain sins in their own church.

Amy, thanks for that first link (the 2nd one is the same as the one I posted, I think). In that article it states:
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]About 37 percent of pregnancies for black women ended in abortion, compared with 12 percent for non-Hispanic white women and 19 percent for Hispanic women in 2004, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In 2004, 453,000 black babies were aborted while 418,000 white and 269,000 Hispanic babies were aborted, according to the federal report[/FONT]

The articles said a contingent of African-American pro-life leaders were going to support this preacher. Note that the percentages for abortions among blacks is much higher and this is why I think they are concerned.

[/FONT]

 

[Marcia]

Supposedly this is the guy. I have to say this for him, he has great patience not to get mad at that idiot who keeps putting their sign in front of his. You would think this was a Hollywood skit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcKPndbwKsg

Thanks for posting this!

It shows the abortion clinic escort getting in front of this pastor and blocking his sign. Pretty rude. Yet the pastor gets arrested.

 

[Marcia]

There was a link from the YouTube site to this link:
http://lldf.org/articles/PressRel090116_HoyeGuilty

Despite the video tape the defense presented at trial showing that prosecution witnesses conjured up phantom patients whom Rev. Hoye had allegedly harassed, as well as claiming that he threatened two escorts and the clinic director, the jury rendered the guilty verdict.

This article is claiming there were false accusations against the pastor. He certainly does not look aggressive in the video nor does it show him approaching anyone, although I realize the video is only 2 min. 40 seconds long.

This article talks about the contradictory testimony against the pastor:
http://lldf.org/articles/WalterHoyeVsOakland

 

[windcatcher]

Under God, the jury and the judge and the prosecution and any false witnesses have a wrongful conviction on their conscience.... if this is the case. If this is not the case, then it shows the intensity of opposition which we may face..... and be willing to accept if we are being obediance to Christ and the gospel. It does seem an excess and unreasonable punishment for behavior which is the exercise of free speech and is civil, and, were it not for an ordiance intended to make an example of selective restriction, would otherwise be lawful.

 

[freshlinen]

Oh, that is so wrong. All he was doing was holding up a sign offering support and advice, right? How is that illegal? It doesn't sound like there was volence, harrassment or anything of the sort. That's really sad to me that human life is valued at so little that anyone can get an abortion but someone who might encourage adoption and life is arrested.

 

[windcatcher]

Oh, that is so wrong. All he was doing was holding up a sign offering support and advice, right? How is that illegal? It doesn't sound like there was volence, harrassment or anything of the sort. That's really sad to me that human life is valued at so little that anyone can get an abortion but someone who might encourage adoption and life is arrested.

:thumbsup: Right on! Welcome to the board!

 

[Revmitchell]

Oh, that is so wrong. All he was doing was holding up a sign offering support and advice, right? How is that illegal? It doesn't sound like there was volence, harrassment or anything of the sort. That's really sad to me that human life is valued at so little that anyone can get an abortion but someone who might encourage adoption and life is arrested.

Don't get in the way of libbies. They are not as tolerant as they want you to be.

 

[dragonfly]

Even if the law murders human life?

I cannot comment; the rules say we must all agree on when life begins. I will leave it at that.

 

[Steven2006]

With all the things people are getting away with in this county, and this is who gets arrested? It really shows which direction the morals of our county are heading. Very sad, he will be in my prayers.

 

[Jon-Marc]

I'd be willing to bet that if someone stood outside a church with a sign that said, "God is dead. Jesus isn't real", and they offered to "educate" people on that "fact", that they wouldn't be arrested for that. It would be viewed as their "right to free speech". Christians don't have any rights.