{"id":14331,"date":"2025-12-27T08:14:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T13:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=14331"},"modified":"2025-12-27T08:14:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T13:14:06","slug":"arizona-man-says-he-was-threatened-with-arrest-for-sharing-faith-at-christmas-lights-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2025\/12\/arizona-man-says-he-was-threatened-with-arrest-for-sharing-faith-at-christmas-lights-festival.html","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Man Says He Was Threatened With Arrest For Sharing Faith at Christmas Lights Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"
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David-Guerrero-pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An Arizona man says city officials threatened him with arrest for peacefully sharing his Christian beliefs at a popular Christmas lights festival, prompting a religious liberty law firm to warn<\/a> the city it may be violating the Constitution.<\/p>\n

According to attorneys with First Liberty Institute, Tucson resident David Hoffman was confronted by police officers while attending the annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson earlier this month. The festival, which runs from December 13 to December 27, is free and open to the public, taking place on neighborhood streets and sidewalks decorated with holiday displays.<\/p>\n

Hoffman and a small group of friends visited the event on December 13 with the intent of enjoying the lights and sharing their Christian faith with attendees. According to First Liberty, the group was not selling merchandise, asking for donations, or blocking walkways. Instead, they engaged in peaceful conversations and offered religious messages to those who were willing to listen.<\/p>\n

Despite this, attorneys say city police officers approached the group and told them to stop, citing a festival policy that bans “political, religious, or commercial materials or messaging.” Officers reportedly informed Hoffman that his religious speech would only be allowed in a designated area outside the festival footprint, described as a “Designated Space for Peaceful Messaging and Literature Distribution.”<\/p>\n

That space, according to First Liberty, effectively isolated Hoffman’s religious speech from the rest of the festival. Officers allegedly warned him that if he continued sharing his faith within the festival area, he could face arrest and a trespass charge. Fearing legal consequences, Hoffman and his friends stopped speaking and left the area where other festivalgoers were gathered.<\/p>\n

“This is a clear case of unconstitutional censorship,” said Nate Kellum, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, in a statement<\/a>. “The City of Tucson is unlawfully suppressing Mr. Hoffman’s speech by removing his religious expression from public property and separating his speech from fellow attendees by placing a barricade between them. Like any other kind of speech, religious speech is protected under the First Amendment.”<\/p>\n

The legal organization sent a formal letter to the City of Tucson last week, accusing officials of violating Hoffman’s constitutional rights and threatening legal action if the city does not correct its policies. The letter argues that public streets and sidewalks remain “traditional public fora,” even during a festival, and that the government cannot single out religious speech for restriction.<\/p>\n

First Liberty also claims the city’s actions may violate<\/a> Arizona’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prohibits government entities from substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion unless there is a compelling governmental interest pursued through the least restrictive means.<\/p>\n

Hoffman, according to the letter, wants to resume sharing his faith during the remainder of this year’s festival and at future Winterhaven events without fear of arrest. His attorneys say they hope the matter can be resolved without litigation, but are prepared to take further action if necessary.<\/p>\n

As of publication, the City of Tucson and its city attorney had not responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

For many Christians, the case raises broader concerns about the place of faith in public life, particularly during the Christmas season. As Hoffman’s attorneys see it, the issue is simple: celebrating Christmas lights should not come at the cost of silencing the message of Christ in public spaces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Arizona man says city officials threatened him with arrest for peacefully sharing his Christian beliefs at a popular Christmas lights festival, prompting a religious liberty law firm to warn the city it may be violating the Constitution. According to attorneys with First Liberty Institute, Tucson resident David Hoffman was confronted by police officers while…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":14334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nArizona Man Says He Was Threatened With Arrest For Sharing Faith at Christmas Lights Festival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An AZ man says he was threatened with arrest for sharing his Christian faith at a Christmas festival, sparking a religious liberty dispute.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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