Controversial Florida Pastor Terry Jones sued the city of Dearborn and police chief Monday in federal court, alleging they violated his constitutional rights.
The lawsuit stems from alleged restrictions placed on Jones, who wants to demonstrate and distribute literature Saturday in front of the Islamic Center of America on Ford Road.
A Jones colleague applied for a special events permit, which includes a document releasing the city from any liability, costs or claims resulting from the event.
“Plaintiffs should not be forced to sign a one-sided, unconscionable contract subject only to the unbridled discretion of the city’s legal department in order to exercise their constitutional rights,” Jones lawyer Erin Mersino wrote in the lawsuit. “The city’s free speech restriction imposes an unconstitutional burden on plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.”
Jones wants a judge to declare the city is violating his constitutional rights and block the city from restricting his free speech rights, according to the lawsuit. Jones also wants unspecified damages.
The lawsuit was filed by Jones, Christian minister Wayne Sapp of Florida and the group Stand Up America Now, which was established to educate people about the threat of sharia law.
The group does not have insurance to cover the city’s “hold harmless” agreement and can’t afford to obtain coverage, according to the lawsuit.
Jones says he is coming to Dearborn on Saturday to protest “the rise of shariah” and what he calls “special Muslim privileges.”
Last year, authorities blocked Jones from protesting outside the mosque on Good Friday, but a Wayne County Circuit Court judge later ruled a lower court had erred by requiring Jones to take out a “peace bond” before holding his demonstration.