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Chicago Police Fine Pentecostal Churches for Violating 10-Person Limit
Catholic News Agency ^ | 5/21/20

Posted on 05/21/2020 5:57:51 PM PDT by marshmallow

CNA Staff, May 21, 2020 / 03:10 pm MT (CNA).- Three churches in Chicago have been fined after defying an order banning services of more than 10 people on Sunday, May 17. A former mayoral candidate, who attended one of the services, has said that he will pay the fines.

Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church, Philadelphia Romanian Church of God and Metro Praise International Church were cited on Wednesday by the Chicago Police Department for exceeding the state of Illinois’ stay-at-home order and city social distancing policies which currently ban religious gatherings of more than 10 people. The churches were each fined $500.

“The Chicago Police Department has been working to ensure full compliance with the [stay-at-home] order,” said the police department in a statement.

“As part of this effort, we continue to ask everyone to help slow the spread of the virus by staying home and practicing social distancing so that once we have begun to recover and reopen, residents can return to their religious services in a safe manner.”

The city further announced that no-parking zones would be established near churches to dissuade potential worshipers from attending.

On Wednesday, Chicago businessman and former mayoral candidate Willie Wilson, who attended one of the church services last weekend, said he would pay the fines for the churches.

“The governor and mayor continue to trample on our constitutional rights while hiding behind a Stay at Home Order that treats the church as non-essential,” said Wilson in a statement. “It is shameful that the church is discriminated against, while liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries and Home Depot [are] treated as essential businesses.”

(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...


TOPICS: Charismatic Christian; Current Events; Religion & Politics; Worship
KEYWORDS: chicago; illinois

1 posted on 05/21/2020 5:57:51 PM PDT by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow

All congregants will be handed a live rattlesnake upon entering to assure that everyone remained socially distanced from one another.


2 posted on 05/21/2020 6:01:01 PM PDT by a fool in paradise (Joe Biden- "First thing I'd do is repeal those Trump tax cuts." (May 4th, 2019)l)
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To: marshmallow

Refuse to pay it. None of these stupid edicts are lawful. Neither are the fines.

Defy the mayor loudly and often.

L


3 posted on 05/21/2020 6:01:13 PM PDT by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: marshmallow

If you want to see what a one party, liberal government is when it is just them, you’re looking at it

I think there are dozens of campaign ads that can come out of this.


4 posted on 05/21/2020 6:05:49 PM PDT by llevrok (Vote while it is still legal)
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To: marshmallow

“Chicago police” assessed the fines? I think not - any fines are on the shoulders of Groot and her City Council minions. The cops go where they’re sent; if they’re sent to issue citations, they issue citations. But it’s the latest iteration of the Democrat machine that’s responsible for any fines imposed.


5 posted on 05/21/2020 6:27:04 PM PDT by Stosh
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To: marshmallow

I thought the Police issued citations and Judges do the fining. Or has something changed while I was asleep?


6 posted on 05/21/2020 6:35:04 PM PDT by ImpBill
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To: marshmallow
“The city further announced that no-parking zones would be established near churches to dissuade potential worshipers from attending.”

Hire a couple of buses to drop people off and pick them up.

7 posted on 05/21/2020 6:37:24 PM PDT by SharpRightTurn (Chuck Schumer--giving pond scum everywhere a bad name.)
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To: marshmallow

who else has been fined for congregating in other businesses besides churchgoers?


8 posted on 05/21/2020 7:08:54 PM PDT by excalibur21
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To: marshmallow

My church you need reservations to go to mass..Only the first 25 are allowed...


9 posted on 05/21/2020 7:44:45 PM PDT by Hambone 1934
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To: marshmallow

Kind of interesting the ones that were searched and fined:

Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church,
Philadelphia Romanian Church of God,
and the Metro Praise International Church.

It doesn’t indicate that there were other churches that were observed in defiance of the amount order. The only contributing thing I can find is that all three churches publicly through media defied the order to remain closed. So this was a “I’ll show you” from both sides. The church for telling them the truth and the state trying not to be as much embarrassed by not doing something about the defiance in lieu of being backed down. Rival gangs.

rwood


10 posted on 05/21/2020 8:12:12 PM PDT by Redwood71
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To: Redwood71

We need peaceful civil disobedience to fight the tyranny. Sit ins work. Time to watch Gandhi on Netflix.


11 posted on 05/22/2020 4:55:31 AM PDT by alamogal (“I am the Government, and we are here to help..”)
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To: marshmallow
Yet another reminder that the police are not your friends.
12 posted on 05/22/2020 7:21:42 AM PDT by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: alamogal

“....peaceful civil disobedience to fight....”

Peaceful will not be in the mix if it is considered against the law enough to fine “the perpetrators” under a civil law that was made up a couple of months ago for reasons they were implemented that can’t be delineated because of the facilities they decided to allow to remain open, how, and which ones are being reopened and how. And I can promise you, after fines will come further arrests. Some states have already started arresting pastors charging unlawful assembly and violation of a public health emergency order.

It had nothing but obvious political purposes in mind with these choices, when they were enforced, and how. And it was in direct violation of the wishes of the people and was implemented using the media as a cattle prod because they are now defying state orders in numbers. Even people can learn right from wrong. We are supposed to be the only animal with the ability to reason.

Peaceful civil disobedience? I would think going to a church and praying to whatever God you profess staying within the building is about as peaceful as it can get. But it isn’t them that are the aggressors. So which group are the ones being disobedient? And to whose God are they attacking.

rwood


13 posted on 05/22/2020 8:25:51 AM PDT by Redwood71
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