Police apprehended and held a group of young individuals in Watertown, Wisconsin on Saturday, while they were engaged in preaching the gospel at a public drag queen event aimed at children.
A video that circulated on social media depicted several officers arresting Marcus Schroeder while he was reading passages from the Bible. In the video, one officer aggressively grabbed the microphone from his hands and proceeded to lead him away in handcuffs.
Another Christian participant, Nick Proell, was detained and expelled from the venue but later discharged with a warning. Jason Storms, who captured the viral video, stated that the young individuals, who are members of Mercy Seat Christian Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, were part of a larger gathering of over 200 individuals from various organizations who were protesting the drag show.
“The police, per orders from city leaders, arrested several young people. Three were arrested earlier in the day while inside the park praying and talking to attendees, and then released with warnings,” said Storms, who serves as minister of evangelism at Mercy Seat Christian Church. “It was open to the public, thus the public’s right to free speech carries with them. One was arrested later in the day for preaching on the public sidewalk outside the venue and is being charged with unlawful use of sound amplification and resisting arrest.”
Storms added that there were several dozen police officers assembled to protect the drag queen event, during which performers dressed in lingerie were seen “dancing and gyrating in front of little children, who were invited to give them one-dollar bills.” Wisconsin law forbids individuals from causing a minor to view or listen to “sexually explicit conduct.”
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