Jail Time for Phoenix Man Who Hosted Bible Study at His Home
Herb
2012/07/08 08:09:16
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A Phoenix man who held weekly Bible studies at his home has had the book thrown at him over the religious gatherings. Michael Salman (pictured above) has been sentenced to two months in jail and more than $12,000 in fines because the group sessions at his home were against the city's building code, Fox News Radio reported.
"They're cracking down on religious activities and religious use," Salman told Fox News Radio. "They're attacking what I as a Christian do in the privacy of my home."
Vicki Hill, Phoenix's chief assistant city prosecutor, said religious freedom had nothing to do with it and that it was a matter of public safety.
"Any time you are holding a gathering of people continuously, as he does – we have concerns about people being able to exit the facility properly in case there is a fire," Hill told Fox News Radio. "It came down to zoning and proper permitting."
The battle between Salman and the city of Phoenix is a longstanding feud. Hill said that Salman's neighbors complained of the gatherings back in 2007 because they were causing too much traffic congestion. Originally, about 15 people would attent the Bible studies, Fox News Radio reported.
But that number began to grow, and that's when Phoenix officials sent Salman a letter saying that his living room gatherings were in violation of the city's building codes.
When he didn't stop hosting the groups, the Phoenix Fire Department broke up a Good Friday gathering Salman was hosting at his home in 2008 in which there were as many as 20 people in the backyard.
Salman then decided to construct a 2,000-square-foot building in his backyard and move the gatherings there. He said that he applied for and was granted the appropriate permits for the building.
Hill, however, said that the permits Salman received were for converting his garage into a game room.
Finally, in 2009, a dozen cops raided Salman's home and charged him with 67 code violations for hosting the gatherings.
Since then, the courts have sided with the city, saying that Salman was using the building as a church and, therefore, was subject to city zoning laws.
"He built a structure that he said wasn't a church that is, in fact, a church," Hill told Fox News Radio.
"The state is not saying that the Salmans can't run a church or have worship services at the location," read a Jan. 4, 2010, Arizona court ruling. "But the state is saying that if they do so, they must do it properly and in accord with fire and zoning laws."
Salman doesn't buy the court's argument and has claimed that Phoenix officials are discriminating against him for his religious beliefs.
"If I had people coming to my home on a regular basis for poker night or Monday Night Football, it would be permitted," he told Fox News Radio. "But when someone says to us we are not allowed to gather because of religious purposes – that is when you have discrimination."
Salman's attorney is appealing the ruling and Salman's sentencing, but unless a federal court intervenes, Salman will begin serving his sentence on July 9.
Read More: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/07/07/phoenix-...
FORCE wins over FREEDOM again! Getting to be an hourly occurrence. When people refuse to do what you want them to do, write a law that forces them to do what you want them to do, and then jail them when they go ahead and practice their God-given freedom. That's the America of today. It once was the Russia of the day.
As to whether jail time is appropriate, I'm not an Arizona attorney so I can't say.
Events held one or two times a year won't even draw any attention. However, if there are events held weekly that disrupt parking and mobility in the neighborhood, that would. It's the consistent activity you have to be concerned with.
Even having four or five cars at a single location weekly isn't much, but this guy seems to have drawn quite a crowd.
You have to look at rights of the other people in the neighborhood. It's not an attack on religion.
If a homeowner does not have the "right" to have legal guests in his home whenever he chooses, then he doesn't live in MY America, but in some dictatorial country. I believe this man's own basic right spelled out in the 4th Amendment to the Constitution has been denied him and I believe he has a legal case against the court.
It would be a simple thing just to let this guy go ahead and do his thing, but when it comes to the point of overcrowding of the premises, blocking the roads, creating a situation where a danger could develop, there must be a limit.
The questions I have are if the guy had sufficient insurance to cover medical and liability bills if someone were injured, or killed on the property. Wouldn't you think that would be a huge consideration for those who attended? Were there enough safety measures taken as in fire prevention, such as extinguishers and sprinklers?
The question becomes the safety of the attendees, and not whether the guy has the "right" to do this. That is why zoning ordinances were put in place originally. They are for the protection of the patron/customer/member, etc.
Did these things happen? Were roads BLOCKED? Were driveways BLOCKED? If not, why mention it?
Do your visitors know how much homeowners insurance YOU carry?
Exactly how much mucking up people's lives does the left actually want? The left is like an ant hill, filled with little bugs getting into everyone's food, toilets, bedrooms, closets, vehicles, dog houses, etc. Do you consider NOTHING sacred? Some of us are more individual oriented than government oriented, thank God.
By the way, got any good recipes for a dry rub? I have Baby Backs in the freezer our group is going to enjoy. No lone Star unless you want to bring some up.
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