(OPINION) CBN – Even after a judge ruled against them twice, prosecutors in Spokane, Washington are still going after a pastor who was present at protests of the Drag Queen Story Hour at a local public library. In early December, Municipal Court Judge Tracy A. Staab dismissed all charges against Pastor Afshin Yaghtin of New Covenant Baptist Church.
Then when prosecutors tried to get her to reinstate the charges against Yaghtin, she declined to do so. Now the prosecution is taking its case to the next level, appealing it to the Spokane Superior Court. The story began back in June when Pastor Yaghtin stood outside the public library observing the protests for and against drag queens reading to children there.
The Washington Times reports that police tried to keep the opposing groups on opposite sides of the street, but Mr. Yaghtin objected when he saw that supporters of the story hour were allowed to demonstrate near the library, while opponents were kept farther away. As reported previously by CBN News, he was arrested for obstructing the police.
Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is representing Pastor Yaghtin, and stated in a press release that “the police arrested Yaghtin after he questioned the police’s favorable treatment of supporters and unfavorable treatment of anyone they perceived to be non-supportive of a Drag Queen Story Hour at a Spokane library. The pastor declined to retreat across the street to a “protester” zone when he did not consider himself a protestor but rather an observer.” READ MORE
