Contact: Jake MacAulay, 763-234-2759, jake@sonsoflibertymedia.com
DUNKERTON, Iowa, July 12, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Making headlines again, Bradlee Dean returns to Dunkerton, Iowa, to set the record straight! After being essentially kicked out of town for his position on homosexuality and abortion, Bradlee Dean and his ministry, (You Can Run But You Cannot Hide Intl.,) received many calls of support from Dunkerton students and community members (in addition to enormous support nationwide), expressing a desire for another event for the whole community.
After inquiry by a national First Amendment/Religious Freedom organization, Liberty Counsel, cooler heads prevailed, and the city agreed not to censor Bradlee Dean. The past distortion will be dealt with at a speaking event to take place during the Dunkerton Days celebration at the Dunkerton City Library on July 28th, 2012. Event starts promptly at 2pm and will conclude at 4pm. Space is limited.
Agree with Bradlee or not, it matters to everyone when all government-sponsored speaking venues in an entire town, including the school district, refuse to rent meeting space to a group because of its beliefs and message. But how do you deal with it -- do you go away quietly, or do you insist that the town uphold the rule of law?
These questions were faced by preacher Bradlee Dean after an uproar that started at a high school assembly in Dunkerton, Iowa. The city government came out against him en masse, with one member of the council vowing to "block the roads with fire trucks" to prevent his message from being heard again. In a sudden reversal, however, the City has agreed to have the preacher come back and speak during the City's annual "Dunkerton Days" Celebration.
In March 2012, Dean's rock band gave a message to students in the Iowa school to "do right by themselves and consider right and wrong in their decisions." The band's message was distorted; the distortion created a local furor fueled by misinformation and rumors.
Dean decided to book the city library to for a follow-up community event to clear up what the media had misconstrued regarding two hot-button topics in particular: homosexuality and abortion, both of which had played a minor part in the high school assembly.
Actual assembly footage:
Homosexuality: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OGrV4VCx22g
Abortion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jazqMOC_N3s&feature=related.
After its initial application, Dean's ministry was approved to rent meeting space at the city library, but when a supporter drove an hour to sign the contract they were told was waiting, the offer was suddenly retracted after calls from unknown officials were placed to the library director.
When it became clear the city would not do the right thing, Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom (www.lc.org) got involved, sent a letter to the city pointing out the law, and demanded that the city respect the First Amendment.
"Religious speech is not a First Amendment orphan -- it is just as protected as any other speech," said Richard Mast, attorney with Liberty Counsel. "When a government entity creates a forum ostensibly available to all, it can't suddenly retract the welcome mat because it disagrees with the speaker's message. Doing as Dunkerton did in this instance is a clear-cut case of viewpoint discrimination."
"The victory has been a concerted effort by many parties," Dean said, "The team at Liberty Counsel was very helpful in communicating with the city regarding the clear religious discrimination directed against my ministry ever since certain people and the media twisted and misrepresented the assembly program we performed in the Dunkerton High School. This discrimination even included members of the Dunkerton City Council. I intend on protecting this generation by standing for what is right, regardless of the cost, in the same spirit that Christ, our Founding Fathers, and military veterans have stood for our freedoms today!"
