Christian Teen Arrested For “Hate Crime”
By Rev. Ted Pike
The police department of Champaign, Illinois is reported to be under pressure from higher authorities to increase its quota of hate crimes convictions. Brett Van Vanasdlen, an 18 year-old Christian college student on a baseball scholarship, didn’t know this. On April 12 he and a friend saw two homosexuals leaning on each other and holding hands, walking toward them on the sidewalk. “Look at those two guys holding hands,” Brett said to his friend and walked past them. According to Brett’s mother, the next thing he knew, one of the homosexuals (whom he perceived to be drunk) had grabbed him by the shoulder, putting his face up to Brett’s and repeatedly shouting, “What did you say?” Brett told him to go away several times and then pushed him. The homosexual fell over backwards. On his back, the homosexual told his partner to call the police. In eight minutes, four officers arrived. Two interviewed Brett and his friend and assured them there would be no problem. Brett had been physically accosted and detained, clearly an assault. The other two officers interviewed the homosexual, who was taken to the hospital.
Brett was arrested for violation of the Illinois hate crimes law, a Class 4 felony. The penalty can be as much as 3 years in prison.
The homosexual and public media in the Champaign area are now in hue and cry to convict Brett. Homosexual groups are publishing articles against him in their media and on the internet. (See, http://illinoishomepage.net/content/fulltext/?cid=12590) They have posted his address on the internet. Homosexuals are now picketing on the street where this alleged hate crime occurred.
The athletic director at Brett’s college, fearing bad publicity, has removed him from the baseball team. Brett’s arraignment and possible indictment is scheduled for May 6. NOW is the time to protest, not after the D.A. has committed the city to a hate crimes prosecution. Every lover of freedom should call the following authorities and say:
“I protest the arraignment of Brett Van Asdlen on trumped-up ‘hate crime’ charges. Please do your best to see that he is released immediately. Thank you.”
Call: Mayor Gerald Schweighart at (217)403-8720, Chief of Police R.T. Finney at (217)351-4545, and District Attorney Julia Rietz at (217)384-3802.
Rev. Ted Pike is director of the National Prayer Network, a Christian/conservative watchdog organization.
Let the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith teach you how they have saddled 45 states with hate laws capable of persecuting Christians: http://www.adl.org/99hatecrime/intro.asp.
Learn how ADL took away free speech in Canada and wants to steal it now in the U.S. Congress. Watch Rev. Ted Pike’s Hate Laws: Making Criminals of Christians at video.google.com. Purchase this gripping documentary to show at church. Order online at www.truthtellers.org for $24.90, DVD or VHS, by calling 503-853-3688, or at the address below.
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