Here's the story from the Arkansas Times.
Previously stated views of Mayor Robertson:
What Priest Dahl has to say:
From Pagan website The Wild Hunt
Dahl tells about his attempt to ask for help from a local church:
Previously stated views of Mayor Robertson:
Quote:It is my opinion and the Beebe City Council's that government leaders must pray to God as the true leader of the nation and that a nation cannot exist if they are not one nation under God trusting in God as the leader. It is my opinion government has allowed non-believers far too many liberties taking God out of our daily lives. As mayor of this city I will continue to open our meeting with a prayer and a pledge to our country – one nation under God.
What Priest Dahl has to say:
Quote: We only wish to worship in peace and do not feel it is the right of the Christians to bully us out of their town.
The Pagans of this country should have the same right of Freedom of Religion.
From Pagan website The Wild Hunt
Quote:Mayor Robertson said that we were not zoned for a church or business, so we pointed out two churches across the street. He said that our side of the street is not zoned for it, so we pointed out commercial property for sale next to us and a business out of a barn next to that and a business out of a house next to that (run by our alderman). He said that the business zone ends at our property and was not allowed from there on down, so we pointed out a business next to us on the other side, run out of a home. He said that in Beebe, they zone individual property and ours was not zoned for it, so we ask what we had to do to get it re-zoned. He said we do not have enough parking, so we pointed out that we have more parking than some of the restaurants in town and much more than the other businesses run out of homes. He said there was no way we were having our church there, so we ask about just opening the store and keeping our group as a small in-house meeting of friends. He admitted that he can not stop us from having friends over, but that he would be watching and he would break it up if we had too many people over (true to his word, police sit and watch our house often). He said we would have to speak with the city attorney about opening a store and what we could have in it and he would have that person call us (this never happened) and that was the end of our meeting. We have ask many times since then, but he has not granted us another meeting.
Dahl tells about his attempt to ask for help from a local church:
Quote:On 2014 May 21, as the members of the church were gathering, I walked into the church and ask for there attention. I told them what was going on and how the Pastor (which is who we thought the Bishop was at the time) and the Elders were ignoring our pleas. I asserted that we did not believe they would all approve of what was going on and ask for their help in talking to their church leaders about not harassing us. I left the church and went home in the hopes of having a meeting with some of the members and finding a solution. Instead of having members show up, I was ask to come out of my home by three police officers and told we were no longer welcome at the Lighthouse Pentecostal Church. The officers told me I would have to take the matter to the courts and they left. I have not been over there since.
The next week, to the day, 2014 May 28, two officers came and arrested me for Disorderly Conduct and Harassing Communications. This had been filled by Jason E. Scheel (who had in fact harassed us) and John Scheel (whom we have never met nor talked to). The City must have informed Mr. Scheel that they were coming to arrest me as is evident by his sitting in a car across the street watching me be arrested (may I also point out at this time that they did NOT read me my rights). We had to pay $320 to get me out of jail with a plea date of July 9.
