Christians fined $300,000 for maskless outdoor church service in liberal college town.
A Victory for Christians: Liberal College Town Pays $300,000 Settlement for Maskless Church Service
In a surprising turn of events, a liberal college town has announced that it will pay a substantial $300,000 settlement to a group of Christians in Idaho who were arrested for holding an outdoor church service without wearing masks during the pandemic.
The city of Moscow, Idaho, home to the esteemed University of Idaho, recently made this announcement, bringing an end to the churchgoers’ civil lawsuit.
“Somehow, every single City official involved overlooked the exclusionary language [of constitutionally protected behavior] in the Ordinance,” the judge wrote.
A Singing Protest Turns Controversial
The controversy began when three churchgoers from Christ Church were arrested in September 2020 during an outdoor “psalm sing” outside Moscow City Hall. The peaceful protest, which lasted about 20 minutes, led to the arrest of Gabriel Rench and Sean and Rachel Bohnet.
Footage of the arrests quickly went viral on social media, capturing the attention of the nation. The video showed police officers confiscating Rench’s hymnal, handcuffing him, and taking him and the other two individuals to the county jail, where they were detained for several hours.
Support from an Unexpected Source
Even then-President Donald Trump condemned the arrests, taking to Twitter to express his disapproval. He accused Democrats of wanting to permanently shut down churches, further fueling the controversy.
“It’s actually the city of Moscow that was defying the law,” Rench said, according to Fox News. “I was obeying the law. The political system doesn’t want to give away their power, and they think if they admit they’re wrong, they look at that as like they’re losing their political power.”
A Legal Battle Ensues
The three churchgoers were initially charged with violating the city’s public health emergency ordinance. However, a judge dismissed the case against them, stating that the city’s pandemic ordinance had exceptions for constitutionally protected activities, including religious services.
Despite the dismissal, the three individuals decided to pursue a civil lawsuit against the city, alleging that their First and Fourth Amendment rights had been violated. A federal judge later denied the city’s request to dismiss the lawsuit, emphasizing that the arrests should never have occurred in the first place.
A Troubling Trend
Gabriel Rench, one of the arrested churchgoers, expressed his concern that Christians are being targeted by the government. He believes that this incident is part of a larger trend of increasing hostility towards Christians.
“I think it’s no secret that portions of our government and political groups are now starting to target Christians in a way that has never really happened in America or Canada,” Rench told Fox News.
Living in a conservative state but residing in a liberal town, Rench felt the impact of this clash firsthand.
“I’m in a conservative state, but I live in a liberal town, and the liberals had no problem arresting me for practicing my religious rights and my Constitutional rights,” he said.
A Settlement and Closure
Ultimately, the city of Moscow decided that a financial settlement was the best course of action to resolve the lawsuit and avoid a lengthy litigation process. The city’s liability insurance provider will pay the $300,000 settlement, and all claims against the city and its employees will be dismissed.
In a press release, the city stated that the settlement brings closure to a matter related to the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the city’s efforts to protect the public during this exceptionally trying time.
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