Someone then can be heard screaming, “Your’e so [expletive] privileged,” and Meinecke’s Bible was abruptly taken from his hand.
The person who snatched the Bible then took it into a porta potty and threw it in the toilet. Meinecke’s video showed his Bible floating on top of human waste and toilet paper, and he told those watching his video, “That right there is a hate crime. That is a hate crime. That is ungodly, and it’s wrong.” The street preacher can be heard crying as he said, “I can’t believe these people…I can’t believe they would do that.”
On Sunday, Meinecke uploaded another video showing Seattle Police officers arresting him as he was peacefully reading Scripture aloud while sitting down during a PRIDEFEST 2022 event. Police can be heard giving Meinecke a warning to leave or be arrested.
According to the Seattle Center’s website, PRIDEFEST 2022 is one of Seattle’s largest festivals.
“So at this point, we can no longer stand by. The risk that you pose for public safety by remaining here,” one of the multiple officers told Meinecke. Meinecke told the officers that he wasn’t in danger. That is when two officers handcuffed him, placing him under arrest. Those attending the parade shouted and clapped with joy.
Meinecke told ChurchLeaders that at no time during his Bible readings did he use a loud speaker system or a megaphone.
Senior Fellow and journalist at Discovery Institute Johnathan Choe posted a video of Meinecke outside the Municipal Court of Seattle, sharing that the Seattle City Attorney has not filed charges against Meinecke at this time.
“[I] wasn’t aggressively preaching [or] stirring people up,” Meinecke said. “People [were] throwing things. People vandalized our property. I think about 10 police officers showed up. Your job is not to silence me and move me,” the street preacher said.
Meinecke shared that he believes in using the Word of God to change people’s hearts, so if critics view the preaching as offensive, it reveals their need for Jesus.
It confused Meinecke that people were more offended by him preaching than by the naked grown men who were walking around children at the Pride event. Those men were not arrested.
“We’ve got a city full of crime. We’ve got needles all over the place. We’ve got lawless homeless camps everywhere. We’ve got assaults. We’ve got broken glass. We’ve got Antifa running the place. But they’ve got time to send in 10 police officers to arrest a street preacher reading his Bible in a park,” Meinecke said during a video after his arrest on Sunday night.
“I forgive them. I don’t hold nothing against them,” Meinecke said of those who assaulted him, sharing he intends to continue street preaching. It’s worth the risk, he explained.
