Battle for Free Speech Remains amid Dropped Charges for Chicago Street Preachers

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A Chicago court dismissed charges against three Christian street preachers who were arrested for peacefully sharing the gospel on a sidewalk near a public park.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a conservative, Christian-based legal organization based in Washington D.C., filed a federal civil rights lawsuit earlier this year against the city of Chicago after preachers Brett Raio, Reetik Dhamala, and Perez Ndi were arrested for sharing the gospel at Millennium Park last December.

"They weren't causing disruption. They weren't blocking traffic. They weren't threatening anyone. They were simply proclaiming truth – using a small speaker system, reading Scripture, calling people to Christ. And for that, they were handcuffed and taken into custody," Liam R. Harrell, Associate Counsel with the ACLJ, wrote.

According to the lawsuit, one individual heckled the preachers when they were sharing the good news using a battery-operated microphone. In order to appease that individual, the preachers moved the speaker away from the heckler, CBN News reported.

"The individual continued heckling, so Raio explained that 'This is the best we can do because we still want everyone to hear the gospel, you know.' Upon information and belief, this individual called the police about their conduct," the lawsuit outlines.

When the police arrived, officers asked the preachers to lower the volume and asked for a permit. However, the preachers declined, asserting that their First Amendment rights don’t require a permit for speech.

In response, one officer tried to grab the speaker, but Raio objected before he was subsequently arrested.

The charges were later dropped after Raio showed evidence of the interaction in a video he presented at the Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings on February 21, 2025. Despite the charges being dropped, the preachers were arrested the next day for sharing the gospel at the same location, prompting legal action against the city.

ACLJ’s lawsuit against both the city of Chicago and the officials claimed the preachers' First Amendment rights were violated because they faced "unwarranted criminal charges for exercising their constitutionally protected right to share their faith in public."

"This alarming development demonstrates a pattern of enforcement that disregards well-established constitutional protections. The fact that more street preachers are being arrested for peacefully expressing their beliefs indicates that the issue is far from resolved. If the city is intent on continuing to silence street preachers through unlawful arrests, this could have broad implications for free speech – not just for religious speakers, but for anyone engaging in public expression," Harrell explained.

After six months of legal proceedings, the judge ultimately dismissed the case.

"After multiple continuances, forcing these men to come to court multiple times, we finally showed up ready for trial. And at the last possible moment, Chicago was not ready," said Harrell in a video posted to the ACLJ's Facebook page.

"Chicago made these young men go through almost six months of court hearings, of trial procedures, pretrial preparations, all for at the last minute for the city of Chicago to be unprepared," he added.

Despite the legal victory, Harrell said the battle is far from over.

"They can go back out onto the streets and continue to evangelize and preach, but unfortunately, because our federal case is still pending, their ability to preach, their ability to evangelize is being chilled and threatened by potential further enforcement," he explained.

"They can go home free men, but we still need to fight to make sure this doesn't happen again," Harrell contended.

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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.