Member of the movement Black Lives Matter (BLM), that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people, will file a discrimination lawsuit against a Georgia church because it called the police and banned BLM demonstrators for wearing shirts for the group.
Some four members of the group were at the Bible Baptist Church in Savannah last month to make a statement about the firing of an employee in the church who was in charge of daycare. According to them, the employee was fired because he wore a shirt from the movement. The members of the movement took off their jackets and showed their shirts form BLM and stayed like that until police officers arrived, Newsweek informs.
“The protesters refused to sit down once the congregation took their seats and also refused to leave at the request of church leaders,” says the police report.
All of this made Cole Balenger file a lawsuit. According to him, the group was respectful and sitting when the police were called.
“It was horrifying. We were shocked at why they had to do that,” he explained.
A footage from the incident has been released and it shows officers telling the demonstrators to leave the church because it doesn’t want the movement’s shirts and it does not allow political clothing. The church released a statement and it emphasized that it does not provide a forum for personal political statements, as it believes that the church is not the venue for politics. The church is worried about safety after the mass shooting in a Texas church, where 26 people lost their lives.
“In the wake of recent episodes of violence in public places, including churches, safety is a paramount concern,” the statement reads.
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