*** To view Christopher Smith’s full body-worn video recording of his interaction with Bibb County Sheriff’s Office deputies and his eventual arrest, please click here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MGuRpqGocyHEEXmbNlWvH7UAipXoo_4H***
MACON, Ga. — A Florida-based nonprofit has taken up the criminal defense of a Christian man who was arrested by Bibb County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Georgia while street evangelizing on Sept. 28.
Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF), which protects the faith and freedom of Americans against government intrusion, says that Christopher Smith was wrongly arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for using a bullhorn to preach the bible across the street from a Macon Pride, an annual LGBT event in the city.
“We plan to defend Mr. Smith vigorously against this unconstitutional persecution by the state of Georgia,” said CDF attorney Catherine Bernard. “Mr. Smith was clearly exercising his rights within the First Amendment when the Bibb County Sheriff’s deputies arbitrarily decided to arrest him. American citizens are guaranteed the right to peaceably assemble. That right is non-negotiable, and we fully expect the criminal charges against Mr. Smith to be dismissed.”
Smith was officially charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly violating Macon’s noise ordinance laws.
He alleges that noise ordinance laws, which prevent the use of sound amplifiers like his bullhorn, only prevent such devices from being used between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. He was arrested at about 1:45 pm on Sept. 28.
A member of the Central Fellowship Baptist Church in Macon, Smith is part of an organized group of street evangelists called Operation Gospel, which was formed earlier this year.
Smith’s body-worn camera footage, which can be viewed in full by clicking the Google Drive link above, shows he and his fellow evangelists being harassed by Bibb County Sheriff’s deputies for about an hour before he is taken into custody.
Bibb County Sheriff David Davis, whom Smith knows personally, even came to the scene and spoke with Smith before his arrest.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s office had been called on Smith and his fellow evangelists before, but most of those encounters ended with deputies telling them that they were well within their Constitutional rights to preach on the streets.
Smith is due in court on Nov. 15.
Founded in 2021, Citizens Defending Freedom is a non-profit organization that strategically operates in counties across America to help citizens defend their faith and freedom, all while fighting for transparency in local government. Currently, Citizens Defending Freedom is established in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, and Texas, with plans to continue expanding across America. Click here to learn more about Citizens Defending Freedom.