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Pastor sues over demon mascot protest
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Greg Bluestein
Associated Press Writer
Updated: Oct 25, 2011, 2:09 PM
Published: Oct 25, 2011, 2:11 PM

ATLANTA — A pastor has filed a federal lawsuit claiming a Georgia city violated his rights when he was arrested for protesting a high school's demon mascot.

Pastor Donald Crosby said in the lawsuit filed Monday that the city of Warner Robins violated his First Amendment rights when he was arrested for protesting the red-horned mascot of the local high school.

Crosby was locked up in August 2010 after he failed to show officers a permit while protesting Warner Robins High School's mascot. He obtained a permit a few days later, but was arrested again during a second protest at the school.

Crosby said in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Macon, that he was shaken by the experience and forced to move out of the central Georgia town for fear of continued harassment.

"Maybe I'm completely crazy and I don't know what I'm talking about. Or maybe all of their allegations are true," Crosby said in an interview. "But the fact of the matter is I believe I have the right to be heard."

Warner Robins attorney James Elliott Jr. said the city's restrictions have withstood years of reviews.

"The courts don't give unbridled right to individuals to gather in a way that affects the public peace," he said. "We'll just see as the litigation unfolds, but our ordinance wasn't adopted for any purpose other than to protect the public's rights as well as the protestors' rights."

Crosby and about 25 members of his congregation, God's Kingdom Builders Church of Jesus Christ in Macon, gathered outside the high school on the first day of classes in 2010. Waving "Warner Robins Must Repent" signs, they urged the school to abandon the team's name, which Crosby said was offensive to Christians.

After a brief confrontation with police, Crosby was arrested for not getting a protest permit and briefly incarcerated. He staged another rally a few days later after he received a permit, but was arrested again for holding the demonstration at the school. He held a third rally a day later that was videotaped by local police.

Crosby said he was unfairly targeted by city officials who disagreed with his message.

"The majority of the community applauded the demon and here I was going against it," he said. "They wanted me silenced and they were willing to bend the law to make sure it happened."

His attorney, Gerry Weber, called the city's restrictions "blatantly unconstitutional," an argument Elliott vowed to vigorously fight. Crosby, for his part, is treating his brush with the law as a point of pride.

"I felt honored getting locked up. Every hero in the Bible, every apostle, every prophet, every real preacher got locked up for standing up for Christ," he said. "I'm not ashamed it happened and I'd do it again."

 

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Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program announces grant
Funds earmarked for Share the Road initiatives
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Bryan County News
Updated: Dec 1, 2017, 7:02 PM
Published: Nov 28, 2017, 7:08 PM

Grant funding totaling $93,458 has been awarded to the Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program (GMSP) by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The approved funding will be used to increase motorcycle safety awareness and outreach by encouraging all motorists and motorcyclists to Share the Road.

“The need for motorcycle safety programs is greater than ever, and this support from GOHS enables motorcycle safety programs and impaired riding initiatives to reach riders and non-riders alike” said Commissioner Spencer R. Moore. “Thank you GOHS for helping (the Department of Driver Services) and GMSP educate and encourage all Georgia drivers to ‘Share the Road.’”

The grant allows DDS to further develop the Motorcycle Safety Outreach Program by continuing to fund a position to promote state and national safety initiatives. The GMSP outreach coordinator researches, coordinates and helps maintain an adequate presence at industry events, local schools and colleges, regional meetings and festivals to increase awareness of motorcycles on the roadways and provide the most current information on motorcycle safety initiatives.

Visitors to a GMSP event display are also encouraged to sign up for regular newsletters which provide additional safety information, as well as review the motorcycle safety message on other social media platforms.

GMSP regulates motorcycle training for new riders, as well as seasoned riders, who want to learn how to ride a motorcycle legally and safely. The program is based on a continuum of learning and therefore offers three entry points to rider education.

Students participating in the Basic Riders Course do not need specialized motorcycle equipment, as the GMSP provides both a motorcycle and a helmet to class participants. Upon successful completion of the course, participants receive a 90-day license waiver card that exempts them from both the written and on-cycle skills tests needed to obtain a Class M license in the state of Georgia.

Please visit the DDS website at www.dds.georgia.gov for many online services including the convenience of enrolling in a GMSP training class and accessing many licensing services.

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