You've likely seen them outside sporting events, concerts, or on college campuses: Armed with signs covered in scripture and loudspeakers to deliver the good word, street preachers hope to convert the unwashed masses one megaphone message at a time.
But how far should these (often intentionally) inflammatory messengers be allowed to go? One Mississippi evangelist found out. After calling some passerby slurs, he was barred by local ordinances from demonstrating outside a local amphitheater, isolated to a designated protest zone away from event attendees.
He sued, and now the Supreme Court just agreed to hear his case. Should street preachers have the right to offend in the name of Jesus?
Banned in Brandon
Many of the 25,000 residents of Brandon, Mississippi are familiar with Gabriel Olivier, a well-known evangelist and street preacher in the area. For years, he has spread his message through a megaphone outside packed events at the 8,400-seat Brandon Amphitheater.
But the city of Brandon was seemingly not fond of Olivier’s message, which was incendiary even by street preacher standards.
Through his megaphone, Olivier was known to call passersby any number of slurs, including “whores,” “sissies,” and “Jezebels.” After a 2019 incident where he used such language, the city of Brandon passed an ordinance isolating Olivier to a designated protest area further away from the amphitheater, as well as implementing restrictions on the loudness of megaphones and the size of signs.
Though this ordinance applied to all demonstrators regardless of their message, Olivier says that quarantining him to a specific protest zone was a blatant attempt to squash his religious freedom in particular, and that it “forbids him” from spreading the gospel – an essential part of his faith.
Which begs the question: by intervening, was the city isolating a public nuisance… or stomping on his First Amendment rights?
Evangelism or Harassment?
In 2021, a frustrated Olivier tried to return to his initial protest area – only to be met by police, who arrested him for violating the city ordinance. He paid the fine, then sued, alleging the city violated his First Amendment right to free speech and practice of religion.
A district court rejected his claim, citing an old Supreme Court case, Heck v. Humphrey, as precedent. Olivier’s lawyers argue the courts improperly applied the old case, and say he has every right to spread his religious message within eye and earshot of every event goer outside of Brandon Amphitheater… no matter how inflammatory it is. This fall, the Supreme Court will decide whether the city acted improperly.
Is Street Preaching Effective?
Olivier claims that spreading the gospel is an intrinsic part of his religious beliefs, and that preventing him from doing so to a large audience is a legal affront to his First Amendment rights.
But others say he’s intentionally incendiary, and that he isn’t spreading the gospel, he’s just harassing innocent people trying to attend a concert or sporting event. They say that the name-calling is proof enough that Olivier is more interested in provoking a reaction than anything else.
In addition to large events, Gabriel has reportedly also preached outside women's health clinics in the past, leading to complaints by pro-choice groups:
It's been a criticism of other well-known street preachers – that they're in the business of generating attention and getting a rise out of people (as opposed to sincerely spreading the good word of Jesus).
A campus preacher known as "Sister Cindy" has made a name for herself with lewd sermons that attract the attention of college students:
But regardless of its effectiveness, should this kind of speech be limited by the state? Where do you stand?
54 comments
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Todd Leslie Miller
I have seen that one on one witnessing as well as tract ministry are far more effective than insulting persons and groups with a megaphone. I agree that just about all of these megaphone ministers are trying to draw attention to themselves. I remember watching a video on YouTube about a minister who went into a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall and began loudly putting down their religion, all with an accomplice filming the whole thing. After the Jehovah’s Witness elders forcibly ejected the group the minister turned to the camera or smartphone or whatever it was and made himself out to be a big somebody. I have no respect for individuals who feel that they need to exalt themselves by putting down other people.
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John Reseigh
He is not preaching, he is engaging in theater. Jesus taught to respect and love others, not vilify them. So he is not Christian.
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Victoria Maxwell
I do not condone slurs, i.e hate religious speech in any form. Remember Christ came to this earth as a peace maker and a way-maker of salvation. When he condemned Israel he did it in peaceful manner and questions and gave Godly answers he was quiet and calm, God will condemn anyone that pours out hate speech to anyone in the streets or in private. These street protesters are not of God but of Satan. Preparing the way for the Ant-Christ. The end of the Church Age is upon us it’s better to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ than to profess slurs that come from these demon possessed so call Street preachers
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Joseph Grieco
In cases like this is when does the messenger become more important than the message. This guy is smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt. The part of the country that when you meet someone, one of their first questions is "Where do you go to Church?" And THIS is not an accusatory question. They sincerely want to make sure you have found a "home" there. So for folks who are steeped in Evangelical Fundamentalism as this area is to determine that a preacher was more of a public nuisance than an asset, he had to have gone well beyond accepted norms of propriety. The ordinance was passed because Brandon attendees felt intimidated and threatened by him. Because they couldn't name HIM in particular, they had to make it generic for everyone, and did so to make sure signage size and speaker volumes were also defined. This guy made a conscience decision to NOT use the designated area, and paid a fine for his actions. He was NOT being denied permission to do his thing. He was "asked" to please do it across the street from where he had been. Nope. Not good enough. Maybe the county should have added a mandatory permit, and fee for use of that space. It would not have stopped him, as these folks can always come up with the money. Given the current tenor of the Roberts Court, and their rejection of Stare Decisis, it's likely they could find in his favor.
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Ronaldo
I ran across one such preacher once. I went up to him and asked if he took requests. When he said yes, I said I'd like to hear Matthew Chapter 6, verses 5 & 6. Apparently he was unaware of the verses, because he smiled, took up his Bible, turned to the page, glared at me, and walked away.
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Ari Joseph Bertine
There is still such a thing as the unprotected speech category. Harassment, inciting violence or panic, or otherwise causing harm is not considered legally protected as free speech. If he is verbally attacking individuals, he is no longer preaching but harrassing. That's on him; if he wants to exercise his rights then he needs to do that, and not stray from it into criminal territory. It's not difficult to avoid. Millions manage it every day. If he thinks he needs to do that then he's lacking in reason.
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David Dorrycott
And just what would this 'holier than thou' street preacher do should I arrive doing the exact same thing in the name of Athena.
We had this problem in San Antonio where a 'street preacher' was standing across Marbach Road from John Jay High School screaming through a megaphone that every one of those students were 'going to hell' if they did not attend HIS church, funny thing is, as a teenager i helped build that church as a mission, it was never intended to be a full blown church, just a mission.
Police arrived, deputy claimed he could do nothing as he did not have the correct equipment to test the sound level, I was standing there (my children were attending that school) so I pulled out my phone and made a call. Less than thirty minutes later the Chief of Police arrived with the correct equipment, they confiscated his megaphone and arrested him for disturbing the peace.
Sometimes it helps to be heavily involved in the local political scene. Police Chief was very unhappy that the Mayor yanked him out of his nice air conditioned office and put him on the street, then the Mayor was unhappy to get a call from TWO state representatives telling him to get off his butt and do something.
By the way, the students were at that time involved in taking their mid-terms, his screeching was bothering them.
You have rights, EVERYONE has rights, yours do not trump theirs.
Athena Bless
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Walter J. Holbrook
They silenced Jesus. Why not silence other messengers
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Cheryl Pettijohn
Your right to preach does not take away the consequences of abusing others.
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Walter J. Holbrook
They silenced Jesus. Why not silence other messengers
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Walter J. Holbrook
They silenced Jesus. Why not silence other messengers
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David Dorrycott
Five posts the same exact statement, my you are inventive.
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Walter J. Holbrook
They silenced Jesus. Why not silence other messengers
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Walter J. Holbrook
They silenced Jesus. Why not silence other messengers
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Rev_Shaun
In the old days if you ignored religious fruit loops shouting on street corners, they'd very often go away. But all that changed when someone invented portable sound systems. Now, if you ignore them, they shout through a speaker and if you still ignore them, they just buy a bigger speaker. Here in Londonistan, UK, there is a classic example of this phenomenon in action.
Four miles to the north of central London is Finsbury Park, home to easily the best transport hub in the UK and arguably the best in Europe too. From this scruffy location, in around an hour one can get directly to three of London's airports and with just one change, to the other two. There are also direct links to four of London's main railway stations, again with simple links to the other three. And no matter what time you stagger out of one of London's many nightclubs and theatres, you can be assured that an all night bus will get you home in around half an hour.
This makes Finsbury Park a powerful magnet for the religiously mentally ill who want to recruit converts. The tramps who sleep under the canopy of the station report being regularly targeted by a nearby evangelical church desperate to save their souls in exchange to 10% of their begging income in the form of tithes. They usually come armed with speakers too. One feature of the station is the fact that the rail line runs overhead, so there is a nice echo chamber underneath it, where one unfortunate spends every Saturday bellowing out his deranged message to no one, as no one is listening. That has not deterred him, for now he has a speaker. People still ignore him, so he has upgraded it a couple of times. But who many converts has he gained through this cacophony?
NONE.
And he never will convert anyone. The truth is that standing on a street bellowing about religion achieves N.O.T.H.I.N.G! It is quite simply the biggest waste of time and effort imaginable. Pointless does not even come into it. At this point, I invite someone to point in me towards research that shows this method is successful, but I doubt anyone will. So if someone with this form of mental illness feels the need to do this, leave them be. And if you don't like what they are bellowing, the best way of objecting to them is to laugh at them.
They hate that.
So, if there is a preacher bellowing through speakers and making a pest of themselves, just get a group of friends together and go stand in front of them and laugh your heads off at them. That will get rid of them faster than any court order.
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JaZe
Uncalled for preaching made worse by noise nuisance. If you want to preach in public and a church is not good enough for you because it s an enclosed space, then you can 'do a Speakers Corner' as they do in London s Hyde Park i.e. get a soap box, take it to the park, stand on it and start your speach. Legal.
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JT of the plains
Outlaw the megaphones for all in the general public. No discrimination, and that stops most of the abuses, as the man/woman can yell all they want, but limits the vicinity of who has to listen.
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Steven Ferrell
If others that promote sin which is annoying to many are allowed to do so in public and it is free speech, then people proclaiming the Gospel should have that same right to free speech.
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Rev Charlie Hicks
Hello My name is Reverend Hicks I have no problem with Street preachers but if he's out there harassing people he's not out there for what he says he is And I'm not trying to be disrespectful or anything like that
But it does sound like that's what he's doing is harassing people and the City did designate a location for him so I do not see an issue again like I said earlier I'm not trying to be disrespect for anything like that but with what I'm reading it sounds to me like he was harassing people and that's not the way it's supposed to be if you're truly out there for what he says he is and that is just the way I see it Reverend Hicks
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Patricia Sydney Solis
The preacher man is just unconscious and projecting his own shadow— his own fear, self-hatred and self-loathing— on everybody. Poor, sad soul just needs a psychology 101 class and a good therapist. Forgive him, for he knows not what he does.
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Rev Charlie Hicks
Hello my name is Reverend Hicks I have nothing again Street preaching since they did designate an area for him I don't see an issue with it because it sounds to me like he was just harassing people I may be wrong I'm not trying to be disrespectful here or anything like that but if he is at her Russian people like it sounds then he's not out there for what he says he is and again I'm just going by what I'm reading
And also you know there is people out there that do what he does harass people if that's what he's doing but again you know he was designated a location to continue so I just don't see an issue with that I'm sorry but that's the way I feel. Reverend Hicks
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Dr. Zerpersande, NSC
Lose the bullhorn. Excessively loud anything is ‘Disturbing the peace”.
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Colleen McAllister
First, as a believer I am offended by this type of witnessing. It turns me off completely. Second, to yell slurs or call people names is not preaching. You can't assume what sins someone has committed unless you have caught then in the act. Third, if you really want to preach Christianity then do so by your life. Not by bullying. Tha city made the right decision.
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Melinda Fulk
A nuisance is a nuisance, regardless of their "spiritual" origins.
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Reverend Paula Copp
You can’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater. Incendiary speech is no less dangerous. The city acted appropriately.
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Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox
No religious exemptions, period.
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Nicholas J Page
Preaching in the streets is a big 👎 in this day and age do it in private otherwise you will upset the wrong person or another religious group.
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Rev_Shaun
I'm not sure that's the case in my part of North London, where down 'god alley' there are all manner of folks with loudspeakers banging out their nonsense.
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ServantOfJudgement
Perhaps in England where they're willing to arrest a person for wrong think sure. Here in the states we've made it clear that government cant dominate its creator.
Imagine you or I telling our creator what he can or can't say where he wants to say it when he wants to say it.
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Michael Hunt
Sigh... No one in the UK has been arrested for "wrong think."
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ServantOfJudgement
Silent prayers equates to thinking Michael.
If a person is standing someplace and thinking when the fuzz shows up to ask them what they're doing and they answer praying silently and subsequently taken away by the fuzz, that's called being arrested. If you study the definition of Arrest, you'll find a flawless match.
Adam Smith‑Connor was arrested for thinking.... In his case he was thinking prayers. Convicted in October 2024 for these thoughts.
Let's get our tap dancing shoes on while we explain how a person thinking certain things is arrested for thinking certain things, convicted of thinking certain things but wasn't arrested for thinking certain things in a place that prohibits thinking certain things.
I'm sorry to say that the English, no matter how much I enjoy their company, have been conditioned to live on a very short leash.
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Michael Hunt
He was not arrested because he was silently praying, he was arrested because he was doing so in a protected area. The safe zone, introduced in October 2022, bans activity in favor or against abortion services, including protests, harassment and vigils.
Smith-Connor had emailed the council the day before to inform it about his silent vigil, as he had done on previous occasions. He was asked to leave for an hour and 40 minutes but refused to do so. This is why he was arrested. It wasn't for thinking, it was for breaking the law prohibiting any activity in favor or against abortion services within 150m of the building.
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ServantOfJudgement
Michael, he was arrested because he was thinking wrong think in a protected area. You right there bro, you're almost to the finis line.
He was thinking the wrong thing in an area that doesn't allow that sort of think.
See it
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Michael Hunt
The government said, "you cannot do this thing here" and he said, "I'm gonna do this thing here anyway." They did not arrest him because he was thinking things they did not approve of. If he had been there promoting abortions and refused to leave, he also would have been arrested. Not because of what he thought, but because of what he was doing in a place where he was not allowed to do that.
I can drink alcohol at a bar or a friend's house, but if I'm walking down the street with beers in hand, in most places that's illegal. I'm not going to get arrested or cited for thinking I can drink wherever I'd like, it's because I'm not allowed to do it in this space but I am doing it anyway.
Do you really not understand the difference?
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James Riggle-Johnson
Oliver is not the Creator. He’s being obnoxious and purposefully antagonizing people. The city has not told him to stop preaching; instead, it has asked him and any other citizen to preach a reasonable distance from the venue. So, he is not being silenced. There are also laws about disturbing the peace.
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Cindi
Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America: Amendment 1 : Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise therof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Therefore, any banning of FREE speech is prohibited by the Constitution! I say that sometimes the truth hurts, but it's a free country last I heard!!!!! Speak on!!!!
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Patricia Ann Gross
There is nothing "peacable" about assembling outside a venue and shouting insults over a bullhorn. That's why disordly conduct laws exist and are able to be enforced.
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Lionheart
In the USA, Free Speech is allowed under the First Amendment so I don’t see what the problem is. 🤷
🦁❤️
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Dr. Zerpersande, NSC
Sans bullhorn, I agree.
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Cheryl Pettijohn
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequences. I can see throwing rotten vegetables.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Defamation, however, is and is a civil matter. It might not even stop him if one of the "jezebel whores" sued him for everything he has, which probably doesn't amount to much. He was calling people dispicable names that could have led to the wrong person "getting in his face," which is apparantly what he was trying to accomplish. The bigger issue I have with this person is what he is teaching his 4th grade students. If he calls a student one of those names, one of the parents will come for his job. This person is picking a fight. Nothing more. Nothing less.
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Clay Serenbetz
Tred carefully. Hopefully, we still have freedom of speech in this country. Originally, in colonial America, town centers were designed as spaces for public gatherings, making them ideal for delivering speeches that needed to reach a wide audience. Anyone could climb on a box and spout any nonsense. This speech is supposed to still be protected, including preachers.
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Lionheart
I personally think we will always have freedom of speech in this country, even though Democrats don’t like being told the truth and love trying to stop it. Here’s just one example:
https://www.heritage.org/election-integrity/commentary/senate-democrats-again-pushing-silence-freedom-speech 🤷
🦁❤️
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Clay Serenbetz
The Senate Democrats are trying to limit billionaires undue influence on elections, by overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which allowed unlimited amounts of dark money to affect our elections (e.g. Elon Musk spending hundreds of millions of dollars to spread election lies and mistruths and elect Nazis). The Senate Democrats are not intending to silence speech, only to make our elections fair so billionaires can't buy votes. Obviously the right wing media would oppose anything to limit billionaires power in our new plutocracy.
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Lionheart
Thank you for sharing your opinion of what you like to believe.
🦁❤️
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James Riggle-Johnson
You turn everything into a political argument lately. This isn’t about Democrats, Republicans, or tRumplicans. It’s about an obnoxious man harassing people and trying to get a response. Free speech is guaranteed, but you still can’t scream fire in a theater. There are laws about disturbing the peace. That’s not a liberal concept.
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Michael Hunt
Your source is an ultra-conservative, far-right think tank. Of course they think that preventing billionaires from manipulating elections by dumping their obscene wealth into campaigns is a bad thing; it directly affects conservative politicians bottom line!
You claim, "Democrats don’t like being told the truth and love trying to stop it," but last I checked, it's been Republicans rewriting the history of January 6 and trying to suppress the evidence of the crimes committed that day. It was Republicans who wouldn't accept the truth that Biden won the election and so they tried to stop him from being certified as president. Pot meet kettle...
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Lionheart
Thank you for your opinion. The next 3.5 years will decide if the people want to continue with current policies, or go back to the very inept administration of flooding the border with criminals, child exploitation, child trafficking, and weak business policies, led by people with no business experience.
🦁❤️
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Michael Hunt
So lets trust the business experience of a guy who bankrupted casinos and committed decades of financial fraud. Great idea!
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Lionheart
You guys always look at the negative side of things. In business there are ups and downs, but you have to look at the overall success of the man regarding his businesses. Clearly it looks as though it’s paying off. We have another 3 1/2 years to see if it continues. Enjoy the ride.
🦁❤️
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Michael Hunt
He was given millions of dollars by his father, lost basically all of it, and only became rich again after he became the host of a reality TV show. https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-black-hole-father-money-lucky-loser-book-1955593
His businesses have failed time and time again (Trump University, Trump Steaks, Trump Ice, Trump Vodka to name a few) and he's currently sending us into a trade war with the rest of the world that will only cause inflation. Good luck on that ride.
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Patricia Ann Gross
I just love it when someone smears the mainstream media that has been in place for decades (some in spin-offs) and then turns to The Heritage Foundation for their information. If you are proud of what he has done by completely wrangling the SCOTUS and the legislative branch to the point that there is no balance of power any more, then you deserve what we all will get.
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Robert Gagnon
Sounds like he was treated fairly. He obviously likes to be a spectacle seeking attention. His religious beliefs do not give him the right to disturb the peace or antagonize others. If he violated an ordinance, fine him and charge him all legal costs and double it each time he violates it. It's not the states job to insure he gains followers. He should be happy to have a designated area others would have to pay for.
Some people just need a new hobby.