Street Preacher Charged With Disturbing Peace

In what could be a test of religious freedom, a sidewalk preacher from a militant religious group that touts an unconventional anti-white Gospel has been charged by Pasadena authorities with disturbing the peace.

Gregory Hamilton, a member of the Israeli Church of Universal Practical Knowledge, is to be arraigned Thursday on the misdemeanor offense, which stems from a street corner exchange last month in the Old Pasadena shopping district, city prosecutor Tracy Webb said.

Hamilton is charged with speaking obscenities to a shop employee Oct. 18 that was likely to get a violent reaction, she said, including: “If Jesus directs me, I’m going to slash your throats.”

Hamilton, of Los Angeles, could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Merchants and the public have verbally clashed for months with the preachers, who appear each Sunday afternoon at Colorado Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue, the heart of the trendy shopping area.

Preachers from the group, citing their 1st Amendment rights, told Pasadena authorities they simply want the freedom to spread their belief that Christ was black and the modern image of Jesus is the devil. Calls to the Inglewood branch of the church went unanswered Tuesday.

City officials said members of the group, known as the Black Israelites, would provoke arguments with passersby with accusations that white people are devils.

The trouble escalated in August, city officials said, when the group began defacing pictures of Jesus, while accusing nonblacks of bestiality and spreading disease.

Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melekian sent the church a letter in August warning of criminal prosecution. He wrote that the city, while respecting protected speech, would not tolerate inflammatory remarks or threats.

“We presented this case to the city prosecutor because this man crossed the line,” Melekian said.

The preachers, who are usually clad in camouflage pants and black T-shirts, have appeared in the shopping district since summer, proclaiming that blacks are the true descendants of ancient Hebrews.

The group has appeared regularly in New York’s Times Square since the church’s founding in 1970.

Citing complaints of abusive language, New York City earlier this year stopped the group from using amplifiers for sidewalk preaching. The New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has sued the city over the issue, saying the prohibition violates their right to free speech.

Meanwhile in Old Pasadena, merchants have staged their own protests, displaying placards that say, for example, “Please help local business, keep foot traffic moving.”

Seeking to reduce tensions, the city’s Human Relations Commission has started to distribute fliers to shoppers, suggesting that they not debate the preachers.

“People get really upset with their antics,” said Commissioner Terrie Allen, who witnessed the Oct. 18 confrontation between Hamilton and the shop employee.

She said, “They may have 1st Amendment rights, but I don’t think they extend to threats of violence.”