A street preacher who earlier claimed he was harassed by police for speaking about the Gospel on public streets has announced his candidacy to be mayor, so he can work on some of the problems he's seen.
"I would require that the city police go through a mandatory course on the Bill of Rights and the Constitution and a course training them on what their actual legal authority is and training them on when it is proper to use force to apprehend a suspect…" Daniel Guyeski said in a campaign statement released to WND.
As WND reported at the time, Guyeski's conflict with authorities in his town of Alma, Ark., came when he was on a public sidewalk preaching and police and school district officials told him to find another location.
Guyeski told WND he feels called to preach to his community, but a vice principal from Alma High School first warned him against speaking on the sidewalk, then two police officers approached him and made a suggestion.
"I got the distinct impression they wanted me to move," he told WND. He said he felt intimidated and left, instead of continuing his gospel message.
Police officials confirmed to WND they contacted Guyeski, but that he was on a public sidewalk and was doing nothing wrong.
"I was just doing some open-air evangelism," Guyeski said. But he said a school official told him, "If I let you come and do that, I have to let everybody come and do that."
Principal Jerry Valentine told WND that the school assumes it owns the property up to the street, including the sidewalk. "He was on school property," Valentine told WND. "My assumption was that it was school property. I'll check with my superiors. I may be wrong."
Now Guyeski is launching his campaign.
He said his agenda would include addressing faith:
"As a Bible believing Christian I firmly believe that there is a God and that we are all created in his image and I firmly believe that as individuals and as a community and as a nation that we are accountable to God for how we live and act," he said.
"As mayor I would fight to preserve our Christian heritage and speak out on issues of local importance and take a stand against the liquor and pornography industries coming into our beautiful city. I would protect the churches from unlawful taxing and interference with worship and other activities and I would protect the right of street preachers and evangelists to share their faith freely in public," he said.
He also cited his allegiance to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
"I have noted with alarm the growing police state in America and the reckless abandon our government has taken toward the individual freedoms and liberties of the people where they have passed numerous laws such as the USA Patriot Act and others which strip Americans of their Fourth Amendment rights which is the right to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures," he said.
He said he would support law enforcement but have a civilian review board to oversee complaints about police officers, he would end the use of sobriety check-points, he could protect property rights, support the right of parents to raise and educate their children as they see fit and call for the Bible to be returned to schools.
He also pledged to oppose United Nations programs and work to prevent illegal immigration into the city.
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