Viral video shows Texas cops shutting down street preachers outside Pride event — Trump's DOJ vows to step in

A viral interaction between Fort Worth police and a Christian street preacher has caught the attention of the civil rights division of the U.S. Attorney's office.

David Grisham and another member of his evangelical preaching team were confronted by a female police officer for their outreach to participants of a Pride event in Texas.

'The Fort Worth Police Department responded, not by protecting his constitutional rights, but by threatening him with arrest and ultimately issuing a citation.'

Many objected to the officer's actions on the basis that she appeared to be infringing on the evangelists' free speech rights and right to religious expression. Video of the interaction was posted by the popular Libs of TikTok account.

"If someone is offended by your talking, then we have a problem," the unidentified officer said.

"If they are offended by your speech ... I will write you a ticket, and we'll go from there," she continued.

A second video shows other officers confronting Grisham.

Grisham was ultimately given a citation for "unreasonable noise," which is intended to apply to noise from construction or animals, but is not limited to those sources.

Attorney C.J. Grisham, who has no known familial relation to the plaintiff, told the Christian Post that the officer failed to follow the ordinance.

"This ordinance was not followed because no officer performed a decibel check," he said.

He also argued that the city's decibel limit was unlawfully set beneath that set by Texas.

"Mr. Grisham was exercising his right to express his views on matters of significant public concern," the attorney said. "The Fort Worth Police Department responded, not by protecting his constitutional rights, but by threatening him with arrest and ultimately issuing a citation."

On Wednesday, Fort Worth Police spokesman Officer Buddy Calzada released a statement saying the issue began when the group "was using a bullhorn to amplify their voice."

Calzada claimed police received complaints from business owners, told the group to stop using the bullhorn, and said the group refused to stop. He said the bullhorn was seized as evidence after the citation was issued.

"At no time did officers prevent any individuals from expressing their views," Calzada added in a statement to the Christian Post. "Officers told the individuals they could continue exercising their rights without using an amplification device. However, the individuals willingly ceased protesting after the bullhorn was seized as part of the enforcement action."

He went on to say the viral video did not accurately represent the entire interaction but also admitted the police officer made statements that "were not accurate."

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On Friday, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon responded on social media that the Justice Department would look into the incident.

"Troubling," she wrote. "Our [civil rights] team is on it."

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