(PatriotWise.com) — In late July, a Christian teen was arrested while participating in a protest of a Wisconsin Pride event with about 200 others after he began speaking over an amplified sound system, the Republic Sentinel reported.
The arrest, which was captured on video, occurred at Watertown, Wisconsin’s second annual “Pride in the Park” event. According to reports, one witness said the “family entertainment” event included a drag show in which children were encouraged to stuff dollar bills into the male performer’s lingerie.
The protesters, including teenager Marcus Schroeder and other members of the Mercy Seat Christian Church, were gathered outside the perimeter of the event on a public sidewalk to protest and preach the gospel.
But since the group did not have a permit to use a sound system, when Schroeder took the microphone and began speaking, Watertown police officers approached him. One officer tried to take the microphone away from him as the other protesters argued that they had the right to peacefully protest. Then, the officers behind Schroeder handcuffed him.
According to Jason Storms, the minister of evangelism at Mercy Seat Christian Church, Schroeder was later charged with the unlawful use of sound amplification and resisting arrest before being released.
Storms also revealed that three other young people had been arrested earlier in the day after they attempted to speak with some of the attendees of the event.
Schroeder told the Sentinel that the incident has encouraged church members to be bolder, saying his arrest was “worth it.” He said he considered himself lucky to stand with the other witnesses who came before him who were also arrested for spreading the gospel.
Schroeder said that if the Watertown police had hoped the arrests would be a warning to others not to protest, the “exact opposite” has happened. He said more people are “seeing the severity” of what is happening and are “called to more action.”
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