Cowtown Cops vs. the Constitution
If the FWPD Gets the First Amendment Wrong, They Can’t Be Trusted on the Fourth Fort Worth, Texas—Cowtown. The city that still carries the scent of stockyards and the stubborn spirit of independence. Yet this June, at Trinity Pride Fest, officers of the Fort Worth Police Department turned that proud legacy into a black mark. Multiple officers, including a supervisor, warned Christian street preachers that “offensive speech” could earn them tickets and that stepping onto public sidewalks risked arrest for trespassing. One preacher pressed: Could saying “homosexuality is a sin” or addressing a biological male as “sir” get him cited? Officers…