Street corner preachers

[quinnox]

There is a street corner preacher always downtown and he kind of annoys me, and there also has been a different group sometimes with a family on another corner distributing religious materials. I don't practice a formal religion, but am not an atheist. Just to let you know where I'm coming from.

While I might get annoyed by them at the same time, I think they should have the right to do this. It will be uncomfortable and unwelcome but what other choice is there for this, it wouldn't be fair to get rid of the preachers and let other interest groups stay.

Do you think they should be able to preach on street corners or is it an intrusion on people and they shouldn't be able to disturb the public peace?

[northzax]

1. seems to me

that the Constitution gives you the right to say almost anything you want on a street corner. And yes, that includes patently offensive things.

[rwenos]

2. "Traditional Public Forum"

Even the Supremes have always deemed the street and sidewalk a "traditional public forum" -- i.e., a place of elevated First Amendment Protection.

Hard to say what the current Five Young Men will do, though.

[Warpy]

3. Too bad they don't have a formal area like

Brimstone Corner in Boston, just outside one of the busiest subway stations in the city.

Although I was always tempted to trip the old geezer who was always screeching about abortion, I realized he had a right to howl his dissatisfaction with women who controlled their own bodies.

Most of them were pretty funny.

[mitchum]

4. Well, when the half-naked masturbator who talks to himself is on vacation...

someone's got to fill in on that corner. So, I guess streetcorner preachers do serve a vital role.

[LeftyMom]

5. I'd rather somebody made them take their meds.

I guess in theory there are streetcorner preachers someplace who aren't batshit crazy, but I've never seen one that didn't need five burly orderlies, a butterfly net and a needle full of something fast and potent. :shrug: