Repent America Brings Hope to the Hurting

Judge Discards Liberty Bell Suit

The Scripture-inscribed Liberty Bell reads: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof..." - Leviticus 25:10

While a glorious battle was won in overturning the federal convictions of Repent America (RA) director Michael Marcavage last July, Federal Judge Harvey Bartle III dismissed all claims in the corresponding civil case of Marcavage v. National Park Service. The civil challenge was brought to hold the rangers of Independence National Historical Park accountable for their unlawful actions in arresting Marcavage while he was preaching on the public sidewalk near the Liberty Bell in October 2007.

- Read the news release of the 2010 victory in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. - 

Judge Bartle's ruling, which was released on March 9th, directly conflicts with the declaration of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals that "the government impermissibly infringed Marcavage's First Amendment right to free speech," by stating that "Marcavage's First Amendment claim was not clearly established at the time of his arrest." In doing so, Judge Bartle completely overlooks the strong language of the Third Circuit's decision that directly pointed to the clear motivation of the arresting rangers: the silencing of Marcavage's speech. The Third Circuit declared: "[T]he lack of any indication that the rangers restricted the speech of even a single other individual on the Sixth Street sidewalk [demonstrates that] there is only one permissible view in light of the evidence: the ranger's actions were motivated by the content of Marcavage's speech." 

Also disturbing is the fact that Judge Bartle granted immunity to the park rangers, sending a dangerous message that government officials cannot be held liable for their infringement of an individual's constitutional rights by singling out and shutting down protected speech. The ruling severely downplayed the rangers' actions, ignoring that the Third Circuit firmly declared that "while maintenance of the public order is a legitimate objective, its pursuit does not license the government to deprive an individual of a constitutional right irrespective of the circumstances."

- Read the full 52-page decision from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. -

Appeal options are now being considered in this case. Please pray that God's will be done in this matter for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

   

Superior Court to Hear Evangelist's Case

 

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the "Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia."

The Pennsylvania Superior Court is set to hear oral argument in the case of Commonwealth v. Michael Marcavage on Wednesday, April 13th, on the 17th floor of the Penn Mutual Building at 530 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. 

 

Michael Marcavage had been arrested on the night of April 3, 2010 while preaching on the public sidewalk across the street from the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, also known as "The Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia." While he was preaching from 1 Timothy 2:5, Sergeant Paul DeCarlo, along with Lieutenants Robert Nudd and Joseph O'Brien of the Philadelphia Police Department harassed Marcavage by insisting that he was in violation of the city's noise ordinance for preaching with a sound device. After his arrest, Marcavage was placed in an underground jail cell as police destroyed his video evidence, which thankfully was later able to be recovered.

 

At his initial trial on April 15th, 2010, Judge Joseph C. Waters, a former police captain, convicted Marcavage of a noise ordinance that had been repealed several years prior, as well as disorderly conduct for "intentionally" making "unreasonable noise" by preaching the Word of God. At his appeal hearing on May 26th, Judge Frank Pulmbo cleared Marcavage of the noise violation while simultaneously upholding that the sound of his preaching amounted to "disorderly conduct." He was fined $300, plus $162 in court costs. Interestingly enough, Marcavage was not found guilty of any of the original "crimes" stated by the officers, nor those listed on his citation. 

 

Please pray that the Lord's will would be done in this important appeal, and that the Word of God would grow mightily and prevail. (Acts 19:20)

 

"But let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream." - Amos 5:24 

 

 

Sign the Petition to Stop Stericycle

Stericycle's incineration plant in Haw River, North Carolina, where aborted babies are burned into ash.

  

Repent America (RA) encourages citizens to sign the Petition to Stop Stericycle as it calls upon the nation's leading medical waste service to cease its collaboration with the abortion industry. To date, hundreds of individuals from across the country have signed the petition, demanding that Stericycle immediately stop servicing abortion mills and furthering the holocaust of the unborn in our nation. 

 

Without Stericycle and businesses like it, the abortion industry would collapse. Therefore, Stericycle must be met with public opposition, and the silence of the American church toward the atrocity of abortion must be broken.

 

Your participation in this important effort is imperative as the Campaign to Stop Stericycle (CSS), a project of RA, hurls a stone at this Goliath to help bring an end to the slaughter of thousands of unborn children. Sign the petition today by clicking here, and pass the link on to family and friends.

 

For more information about the campaign, please visit www.stopstericycle.com. 

  

"Open thy mouth for the [voiceless] in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction." - Proverbs 31:8 

 

• Campaign to Stop Stericycle Hurls Stone at Goliath, Thank You Corporal Steven Armbruster & More!

• Repent America Launches Campaign to Stop Nation's Top Abortion Collaborator: Stericycle