San Francisco’s problem with First Amendment

When the San Francisco Housing Authority refused to allow residents
of
the Sunnydale Housing Development to hold a Bible study in the
development’s community room, a lay teacher contacted the Pacific
Justice Institute.

As a result, on Feb. 23, the Pacific Justice Institute filed a civil
rights lawsuit on behalf of those residents in federal court against the
San Francisco Housing Authority, as well as the City and County of San
Francisco.

In a letter last April, the Pacific Justice Institute informed the
housing
authority that its policy was unconstitutional. The institute told
officials that Bible studies are protected under the First Amendment,
according to Widmar v. Vincent (1981) and that the Housing Authority
must remain neutral in the area of religion.

But, the housing authority cited “separation of church and state,”
and would not amend its policy. Pacific Justice Institute attorney Brad
Dacus says that San Francisco’s religious discrimination and censorship
has to stop. He maintains the housing authority’s policy violated the
free exercise clause and that total separation between church and state
is not possible.

A San Francisco city attorney has implied that San Francisco will
back down, according to Dacus, but the activist attorney is not
satisfied.

“We need permanent and clear release. And, if indeed they’re sincere,

then there should be absolutely no actions by the city to stop the
release that we’re trying to seek,” said Dacus. “If they oppose it in
any way it only serves to prove the shallowness of any resolve they may
have voiced to ameliorate this matter.”

The Pacific Justice Institute hopes to receive a nominal damage award

of one dollar for public vindication for their clients because their
civil rights were violated. They also want to receive a declaratory
release and a permanent injunctive release from the federal court to
ensure that this type of event never takes place again.

“We hope that this court order will serve as a clear case precedent
to
ensure that other cities, including San Francisco, do not attempt such
egregious hostility against religion in the future,” Dacus said.

Dacus believes that many people in the San Francisco government have
attitudes of strict separation of church and state — an attitude that,
“supports freedom from religion, as opposed to freedom of religion,
which the constitution mandates.”

City and housing authority officials failed to return phone calls
from WorldNetDaily.