Rantz: Seattle closes park for religious rally, but allows anti-cop protests
Sep 7, 2020, 2:25 PM | Updated: 3:22 pm
The City of Seattle completely fenced off Gas Works Park ahead of a prayer rally and peaceful protest. This was a targeted closure to prevent outside, socially distanced worship by Christians. It’s a new low for Seattle.
Meanwhile Cal Anderson Park escapes fencing, despite serving as a staging ground for anti-cop demonstrations that inevitably become riots. But since they don’t pray at those rallies — they simply target cops with Molotov Cocktails — Mayor Jenny Durkan stays silent.
Rantz: Seattle Antifa hid weapons cache inside tents at occupied park
Seattle targets Christian protest and prayer rally
Ahead of Monday’s rally, the Parks Department announced they would temporarily close Gas Works Park to “prevent ‘anticipated crowding’ from worship rally organized by local churches.” The city put up fences to completely close off the park, stationed park rangers around the area, plus social distancing ambassadors.
This was specifically meant to stop the prayer rally by worship leader Sean Feucht.
“Seattle Parks and Recreation does not allow unpermitted public events to take place in Seattle parks and asks the public to continue to adhere to current public health guidelines so that we can keep our parks open,” the city said in a statement per KING 5.
This statement is an absolute lie.
Seattle Parks routinely allows unpermitted public events to take place in Seattle parks.
Much of CHAZ was occupied by thousands inside Cal Anderson Park. To this day, it remains occupied by anti-cop extremists who previously housed a weapons cache to use to target the nearby East Precinct. And the city can’t feign ignorance when activists promote the events openly on Twitter and Facebook under the hashtag #seattleprotests.
‘It was to shut down our belief system’
Paul and Nancy Benson made the drive to Seattle from Leavenworth for the rally. They were both wearing masks.
“I just think it’s vital for the church to stand up and just make sure that we’re not dismissed,” Nancy tells the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “Right now, there’s so many places that can meet and so many places that are open, except for church and some other places. This [fencing] thing is kind of unbelievable.”
Her husband agrees.
“It was obviously from our perspective that it was to shut down our belief system, the involvement we have within our culture and to say ‘You are not essential,'” Paul explained. “If this is a protest, we’re peaceful protesting. But we’re also here to represent Jesus Christ.”
This is simple bigotry
Seattle Parks did not respond to a request for comment. How could they? They could hide behind coronavirus concerns all they want but we know that’s absurd. I spent some time at a busy Lake Union Park with social distance ambassadors nowhere in sight. Why? No one wanted to pray there.
The city isn’t hiding their anti-religious bigotry. By not enforcing their rules in any semblance of a consistent fashion, I pray they’re opening themselves up to legal challenges. Either religious rallies and social justice rallies are permitted, or none at all.
Durkan doesn’t get to pick and choose which expression she’ll permit, an ironic concept given she spends downtime ignoring attempts to murder cops so she can call President Donald Trump a dictator.
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