Watertown, Wisconsin – A young street preacher was arrested on Saturday after reading the Bible on a sidewalk according to a local report.
Marcus Schroeder, the young man in question, was protesting an all ages (meaning children were allowed) drag event in Watertown, Wisconsin with more than 200 individuals from various groups.
The Republic Sentinel reported the protest was organized by members of the Mercy Seat Christian Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Schroeder is a member of the church.
A Twitter user captured video showing Schroeder, who is wearing a t-shirt with the words “WARRIORS FOR CHRIST,” being approached by overzealous cops while he was quoting scripture. One cop grabs Schroeder’s microphone before he finishes speaking.
A confused Schroeder can be heard asking “what are you doing.” A fellow protester follows up by saying they were not given any warning and said they could speak freely.
The cops proceed to place Schroeder in handcuffs anyway. One officer said Schroeder was being arrested for sharing his message with the use of a microphone and a speaker. Of course, the young man had every right to exercise his First Amendment rights.
“You guys are acting like thugs, man,” Schroeder replied.
WATCH:
🚨BREAKING: Young man arrested for sharing the Bible on a public sidewalk
Blatant violation of the 1st amendment of The Constitution. Every one of those cops should be fired and sued. pic.twitter.com/ef8zBXSf5c
— TONY™️ (@TONYxTWO) August 1, 2023
Schroeder spoke to the Republic Sentinel following his arrest and vowed to continue spreading the word of God.
It was worth it. It’s actually an honor to be counted worthy to stand with the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and been arrested for the sake of spreading Christ and his kingdom.
If the police wanted to try and set an example for others or anything like that, the only thing I’ve seen is actually the exact opposite, where more and more people are seeing the severity of what’s going on and being called to more action.
The Republic Sentinel reports that Schroeder was charged with unlawful use of sound amplification and resisting arrest. The police have yet to respond to questions regarding the nature of the charges against Schroeder.
A concerned citizen called the Wisconsin police department and said, they will not release any information regarding the arrest without public record request.
I called Watertown Wisconsin this morning trying to get more information on the young man that was arrested and his Bible taken away. The Watertown Police Department has no public statement and will not release any information without a FOI request. They are aware the video is… https://t.co/emAWDGaEpS pic.twitter.com/kbzMHWAwR4
— Andrew_W_MG (@Andrew_W_MG) August 1, 2023
