Police Department Stops Posting Religious Messages on Facebook After ACLU Complaint

aclu mounds police department

The police department in Mounds, Okla. has made the decision to cease posting religious content to its official Facebook page after a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Mounds Police Chief Antonio Porter often posted Bible verses and other religious messages to the MPD Facebook page as a way “to promote the positive side of law enforcement and to share an uplifting message for everyone.”

However, the ACLU of Oklahoma sent a letter to Mounds Mayor Rosa Jackson last week asking the MPD to stop posting “quotations of Bible verses, calls to prayer and links to Bible study” due to violations of the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “As the official Facebook page of a city police department,” the letter states, “the account’s direct advocacy of the Christian religion is not only inappropriate, but unconstitutional.”

Note how the ACLU’s letter specifically states that it’s the “direct advocacy of the Christian religion” that’s inappropriate. Had the MPD been advocating for Islam, or Buddhism, or any religion outside of Christianity would the ACLU have asked them to stop? I doubt it.

At first, Chief Porter paid the ACLU’s request no mind. On Sept. 14, he posted a photo of a letter of support he’d received from Sen. James Leewright and Rep. Mark Lawson.

However, a week later Chief Porter made the decision to stop the religious posts in order to avoid any risk for the town. The good news is the posts won’t stop altogether; instead, Porter announced the posts will continue “on the private citizens Facebook page known as MPD (Mounds Pastoring Devotionals).”

It’s unfortunate that Chief Porter gave in to the ACLU, but it’s also understandable why he did. Those who want to continue to see the posts can do so on the private page, and it will avoid any unnecessarily conflict with detractors whose only desire is to cause trouble and grief. However, the fact that the ACLU targeted the posts at all is yet another example of the hypocrisy of the organization.

Share this if you support Chief Antonio Porter and the Mounds Police Department!

By Ann

Ann is a conservative political blogger whose work has appeared on Bleacher Report and America Liberty PAC. Nothing angers... More about Ann

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