Denver Newsroom, Nov 19, 2020 / 16:10 pm
Two pro-life groups are suing Washington D.C., alleging that the city discriminated against their pro-life viewpoints by refusing to grant permission to paint or chalk messages on the street, while allowing other activist groups to do so.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court November 18, the Frederick Douglass Foundation (FDF) and Students for Life of America (SFLA) contend that D.C. police discriminated against their viewpoints by preventing them from chalking pro-life messages on the sidewalk, while other groups have not been punished after painting and chalking messages on the streets and sidewalks of D.C. this year.
"The District of Columbia, like many American jurisdictions, prohibits the defacement of public property," the lawsuit, filed by the Christian group Alliance Defending Freedom, notes.
"While such laws are intended to prohibit criminal activity, they may not be used as a tool to silence disfavored speech. But this is precisely what the District and the Defendants have done."