(LifeSiteNews) — A young man who was arrested while reading aloud from the Bible outside an obscene “drag queen” show targeting children said he feels honored to have “been arrested for the sake of spreading Christ and [H]is kingdom.”
Marcus Schroeder, who attends Mercy Seat Christian Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin near Milwaukee, was arrested by multiple police officers while reading aloud from the Holy Bible on Saturday at a “Pride in the Park” event featuring a “drag” performance.
Video shows officers taking the microphone out of Schroeder’s hand and then placing him in handcuffs.
🚨BREAKING: Young man arrested for sharing the Bible on a public sidewalk
Blatant violation of the 1st amendment of The Constitution. Every one of those cops should be fired and sued. pic.twitter.com/ef8zBXSf5c
— TONY™️ (@TONYxTWO) August 1, 2023
Mercy Seat minister of evangelism Jason Storms, whose video of the arrest has since gone viral on social media, told The Republic Sentinel that dozens of police officers were on scene to provide protection outside a “drag” show where performers could be seen “dancing and gyrating in front of little children, who were invited to give them one dollar bills.”
The Republic Sentinel pointed out that, per Wisconsin law, it is unlawful to cause a child “to view or listen to sexually explicit conduct.”
Storms pointed out that the “drag” show was “open to the public, thus the public’s right to free speech carries with them.”
Hundreds of people opposed to the performance gathered to protest it, ranging from Christians to members of the “gays against groomers” group to extremist neo-Nazis, who unsurprisingly drew the lion’s share of headlines.
Storms said the young Christians from Mercy Seat Christian Church were in no way affiliated with the Nazi group, and even tried to share the Gospel with them.
Despite the peaceful witness of the young Christians, however, Storms said that police officers “arrested several young people” who were “inside the park praying and talking to attendees,” most of whom were released “with warnings.” Another was arrested “for preaching on the public sidewalk outside the venue and is being charged with unlawful use of sound amplification and resisting arrest,” according to Storms.
In remarks to The Republic Sentinel, Schroeder, the young man whose arrest was captured in the viral video, said being arrested “was worth it” to share the Gospel and stand up for what is right.
“It’s actually an honor to be counted worthy to stand with the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and been arrested for the sake of spreading Christ and his kingdom,” said Schroeder, who was wearing a t-shirt bearing the phrase “WARRIORS FOR CHRIST” during the incident.
“If the police wanted to try and set an example for others or anything like that, the only thing I’ve seen is actually the exact opposite, where more and more people are seeing the severity of what’s going on and being called to more action,” he said.
Fellow young Christian Nick Proell, who was detained by police before being released with a warning, similarly said he would “do it all over again if it gives me an opportunity to share the good news and rescue innocent children being sexualized by their parents.”
“God will use it for good,” Proell said. “We will stand for truth even if we stand alone.”
The Republic Sentinel said that it reached out to Watertown Mayor Emily McFarland and Watertown Police Chief Robert Kaminski for comment but did not hear back.
Kaminski also did not immediately respond to LifeSite’s request for comment. Both LifeSite and The Republic Sentinel have also asked whether charges will be filed against the “drag” performers for engaging in sexually explicit conduct in front of children. This article will be updated if a response is provided.
As LifeSiteNews has extensively reported, drag shows targeting children have become increasingly common in American life and sparked a wave of grassroots opposition and new laws in Republican-led states to protect children from sexualization and exposure to obscene performances.
Ashley Sadler
Ashley Sadler is a California-based journalist for LifeSiteNews. She has a deep love of American history and the Traditional Latin Mass. In her free time she enjoys mountain-biking, taking road trips, and reading classic literature. You can follow on her on Twitter @asadler216
