Police Officer Arrests Man Reciting Bible Verse at Pride Rally

A man was arrested while reciting a Bible verse at a Pride event in Reading, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Dozens of people gathered outside of City Hall Saturday morning to participate in the city’s first ever “Pride March and Rally” endorsed by Mayor Eddie Moran, The Lancaster Patriot reports.

Damon Atkins, the man arrested, stood on public property at the time of his arrest.

Atkins held a sign that read “Jesus said go and sin no more” across the street from the event.

Christian man arrested after quoting Bible at Pennsylvania Pride marchhttps://t.co/6Z7uMVlLjH

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The entire incident was caught on camera by Matthew Wear, who spoke to The Lancaster Patriot about the incident.

Wear told the outlet he preached for about twelve minutes and then began filming the event from across the street.

In the video, Police Sergeant Bradley McClure approached Atkins and warned him not to intervene with the Pride event.

“This is public property,” Atkins said.

McClure told Atkins to “let them have their day” and to “respect them.”

“Oh I’m respecting. You know who’s cheering for us? The people that are in hell. So you do you, and I’m gonna do me,” Atkins said.

McClure walked away briefly as Atkins started speaking on the sidewalk.

He proceeded to arrest Atkins.

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The Lancaster Patriot shared further details from the incident:

Atkins later told The Lancaster Patriot that he was referring to the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke, wherein a rich man in torment begs Father Abraham to send someone to warn his brothers about the place of torment.

Wear’s video then focuses on McClure as he walks away from Atkins. Atkins can then be heard saying, “God is not the,” and McClure immediately reapproaches Atkins and handcuffs him.

Atkins told The Lancaster Patriot that he was going to quote a portion of 1 Corinthians 14:33 – “God is not the author of confusion” – but did not finish the quote because he stopped when he was handcuffed by McClure.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, McClure claims that “[Atkins] was carrying a sign with a slogan written on it that showed his opposition to the event.”

The video footage shows Atkins holding a sign that read “JESUS SAID GO AND SIN NO MORE.”

In the affidavit, McClure also claims that Atkins “began to yell to the people” attending the pride event.

“I immediately approached him and told him that, while he was free to stand on that side of the street and hold his sign,” McClure wrote in the affidavit, “he could not cross the street nor yell comments intended to disrupt the event.”

McClure added that Atkins “said he understood.” But the video does not show Atkins agreeing to remain silent and Atkins told The Lancaster Patriot that he never agreed to McClure’s instructions.

The affidavit continues with McClure claiming that in less than a minute Atkins “resumed yelling derogatory comments to the people at the event.”

The video records the only words from Atkins as “God is not the” immediately prior to McClure arresting him.

A court document provided to The Lancaster Patriot shows that Atkins was charged with “Disorderly Conduct Engage in Fighting.”

A criminal complaint from the Reading Police Department provided to The Lancaster Patriot explains that a violation of the Disorderly Conduct statute entails “the intent to cause substantial public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, he engages in fighting or threatening, or in violent or tumultuous behavior” and that Atkins “despite being warned by police just moments prior, yelled derogatory comments at an organization that was holding a permitted event.”