Florida Arrests Christian Pastor For Defying Coronavirus Orders
There are many uplifting stories of religious communities coming together to help fight the Chinese Coronavirus epidemic. Unfortunately, there are several more that make the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Tampa Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne has been arrested for continuing to hold services in his Florida megachurch despite the state edict, put in place by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, for people to stay at home instead of coming together in public spaces to help fight the spread of the coronavirus.
Until now, the most infamous breach of this order came from foolish college students who tested positive for COVID-19 after partying on Florida beaches during spring break just weeks ago. Howard-Browne’s arrest, however, raises new questions about how Constitutionally-protected religious freedoms may be curtailed during the coronavirus crisis.
The Hillsborough County sheriff who announced the details of the arrest warrant claimed that 500 people attended services at the River at Tampa Bay Church, which is a violation of the stay-at-home law. Pastor Howard-Browne, 58, even organized bus rides for the people who wanted to attend.
A live-stream broadcast of the service indicated that the church was crowded with worshippers. “They have access to technology allowing them to live stream their services over the internet and broadcast to their 400 members from the safety of their own homes, but instead they chose to gather at church,” said Sheriff Chronister.
Sheriff Chronister was joined in the announcement of the arrest warrant by state attorney Andrew Warren, indicating that Governor DeSantis has made shutting down public gatherings a major priority. Howard-Browne, the two authorities said, has been previously approached about the “dangerous environment” that his church represented.
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As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the nation, many churches have shut their doors to prevent their congregations from catching the disease.
Howard-Browne was taken into custody in Hernando County, his place of residency. Within an hour, however, he was released after posting a $500 bail.
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The pastor faces two misdemeanor charges: unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency order. Both charges are second-degree misdemeanors, punishable by a maximum sentence of no more than 60 days under Florida law.
Howard-Browne’s legal representative, Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Mat Staver, issued a statement claiming that the pastor is innocent of the charges. “Not only did the church comply with the administrative order regarding six-foot distancing, it went above and beyond any other business to ensure the health and safety of the people,” said Staver. He added, “Contrary to Sheriff Chronister’s allegation that Pastor Howard-Browne was ‘reckless,’ the actions of Hillsborough Country and the Hernando County Sheriff are discriminatory against religion and church gatherings.”
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Staver argued that it is unconstitutional for corporations like Amazon to be allowed to remain open during this time, while churches are required to turn off the lights and lock the doors.
The state attorney for Florida answered back quickly. “I think it’s unfortunate that the pastor here is hiding behind the First Amendment,” said Warren. “One, it’s absolutely clear that emergency orders like this are constitutional and valid. Second of all, leaders from our faith-based community across this country have embraced the importance of social distancing.”
Howard-Browne himself believes his house of worship was safe. “We brought in 13 machines that basically kill every virus in the place,” said the pastor. “If they sneeze it shoots it down like at 100 miles per hour and it will neutralize it in a split second.”
