Priest Booted From Meeting During Remarks on Free Speech (VIDEO)
A Florida priest, arguing for his First Amendment rights, was told he was out of order and asked to leave a city council meeting last Thursday evening, which resulted in two members of the council walking out.
The turmoil began at Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, Dec. 12 in Pensacola. At this meeting, the Rev. Nathan Monk and several other individuals protested the city's implementation of strict anti-homeless ordinances.
Some individuals compared the strict homeless ordinances to Heinrich Himmler’s "Final Solution," the Nazi manifesto to exterminate Jews during World War II. Others at the meeting questioned the Christian beliefs of any council member who chose to support the ordinances.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
City Council President Sam Hall then asked Police Chief Chip Simmons to remove several speakers.
President Hall released a statement Monday, defending his decision to dismiss the speakers.
Hall said he "drew a line" when comments became personal.
“Yelling, insults, and unfair comparisons to the Holocaust or fascist government have no place in City Council meetings,” he said.
Fr. Monk spoke again at Thursday's meeting, addressing President Hall's earlier decision to remove some speakers from Monday's meeting.
“It embarrassed me,” Monk said. “It was sick and a gross abuse of power.”
Monk pointed to the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, which states that all American citizens have the right to freedom of speech, religion, and a redress of grievances.
“As Americans we have the right to redress the government without fear of being arrested,” Monk told the council.
“This council does not have the right to limit peoples’ speech, to determine what type of speech is appropriate, to determine what types of dots should and should not be connected,” he added.
President Hall then asked Fr. Monk to leave the podium, saying “your time is up, sit down […] I’m ruling you out of order.”
Two police officers then approached Monk, but he refused to leave the podium, arguing the council was violating his First Amendment rights.
Council members Sherri Myers and John Jerralds defended Monk, and left their council seats in support of the priest.
In his statement released Monday, President Hall defended his decision to throw out the speakers at Monday's meeting, although he admitted to "hasty" judgement at Thursday's meeting.
"Perhaps I was hasty in that judgment on Thursday night, but as Council President it is my job to protect order and decorum for the citizens and for my fellow members of Council, and I make no apologies for setting a higher expectation for our civic discourse in Pensacola," he said.
