LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Along Hollywood Boulevard this past Saturday, the blue and pink flags waving in the street might have been mistaken for the bisexual pride flag, but closer inspection showed the message actually being pushed by the people gathering there: Don’t mess with our kids.
Christians gathered for a worship service right outside of the TCL Chinese Theatre on the eve of Pride Month to offer a different worldview in the touristy area. Right before the event was set to take place, organizer Ross Johnston posted an email sent by the Democrat-majority city explaining that local leaders were canceling the permit the organizers had applied for because they needed a different permit.
“It is a Concert/Performance that requires a Boss Permit. Just because it is religious, it does not default to a 1st Amendment Right,” the email stated.
“The Police Department and the Police Commission will not continue to permit this event under a 1st Amendment permit,” it continued.
The email went on to say that most event permits in Los Angeles are BOSS permits.
In spite of the runaround Mayday USA organizers were getting from the city, Johnston encouraged people to show up anyway. Los Angeles police officers did provide security once worshippers gathered and the sound equipment was being set up.
“The mindset was really simple: We are Christian, but are not standing just for Christians. We’re standing for Americans,” Johnston told Blaze Media when the event ended. He added that the Democrats have no problem approving permits for the Pride parades set to take place this month in the same area.
“Do what we did here today,” Johnston said to Christians who run into similar problems. “What does that show? If you actually exercise your First Amendment right legally, lawfully, and peacefully, then nobody can stop you. And this is important for the church because we’ve done great in the building, but we don’t do much outside the building.”
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Kainoa Little/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The service in Los Angeles comes after a previous Mayday USA event in Seattle that was attacked by radical Antifa and LGBTQ+ activists. Seattle police arrested dozens of far-leftists as Christians continued their event. Democrat Mayor Bruce Harrell blamed the Christians for the violence because the event took place at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle’s LGBTQ+ neighborhood, but Mayday USA organizers proved that the city told them to go to Cal Anderson Park instead of their first option.
Seattle-based Pastor Russell Johnson said his community is calling for Harrell to resign, as the Justice Department and FBI are investigating the city for religious discrimination.
Saturday’s event in L.A. saw no violence like in Seattle. Only a few counterprotesters showed up and mainly stayed on the outskirts of the service.
Watch the video of the event below:
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