According to a press release, attorneys with First Liberty Institute and Jones Day filed a motion for a preliminary injunction on behalf of The Mission Church of San Diego, California and The Christian & Jewish Alliance, an interfaith organization in the San Diego area, seeking protection from hostile agitators affiliated with Code Pink who have disrupted several worship services.
The preliminary injunction requests that they can’t trespass, block, impede, or obstruct accessing, entering, or exiting Mission Church and that they can’t demonstrate on the sidewalk bordering the church entrance and its parking.
"The first disruption was back in March. It was a worship service at the church," First Liberty attorney Kayla Toney told AFN in November when the lawsuit was first filed.
"The disruptors pretended to be guests and sat in the audience and then jumped up and started screaming at various intervals during the presentation just completely interrupting it and they had to be escorted out kicking and screaming and then they lined up outside the door of the church and terrified everyone as they were trying to leave and get to their cars."
The same disruptors returned on Easter and they blared sirens and shouted vulgarities at the children who were doing activities in the parking lot.
"The third event was in September and this was hosted by the Christian and Jewish Alliance at sort of an outdoor amphitheater worship space," Toney said. "It was really a beautiful event but the disruptors blared these imitation police sirens for three hours during the entire event and they also blocked guests from accessing the parking lot."
First Liberty is bringing claims under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances or FACE Act. Some Americans may be familiar with that in situations involving abortion clinics, but Toney said it also calls for protections of people of faith in places of worship.
"The FACE Act is used to protect houses of worship from interference, intimidation, and obstruction when someone is trying to exercise their freedom of religion," Toney stated.
