{"id":741,"date":"2011-07-28T14:13:44","date_gmt":"2011-07-28T18:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=741"},"modified":"2011-08-01T11:29:29","modified_gmt":"2011-08-01T15:29:29","slug":"nyc-says-no-to-9-11-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/07\/nyc-says-no-to-9-11-documentary.html","title":{"rendered":"NYC says No to 9-11 Documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just wrote<\/a> about\u00a0a disturbing new lawsuit by an atheist organization that is trying to stop the display of a cross at Ground Zero – part of a museum being built to commemorate the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001. You already\u00a0know that we will be filing an amicus brief backing the constitutional display of that cross in\u00a0court. We will be representing former NYC firefighter and first responder Tim Brown and others.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the heels of that development, comes another 9-11 case<\/a>, this one also out of New York City. It’s difficult to believe, but officials with the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation repeatedly have turned down requests from an organization to permit the showing of a documentary made about 9-11 survivors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We represent the Christian Action Network (CAN) in this case, which has been denied permission to utilize a number of City parks, which are available and routinely used by other organizations, to show a documentary entitled: \u201cSacrificed Survivors: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mega-Mosque,\u201d which addresses the controversy surrounding the mosque at Ground Zero from the perspective of individuals who lost loved ones in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Communications between the Parks Department and CAN\u2019s representatives reveal that the Department\u2019s concern over the documentary\u2019s content and viewpoint is the issue. We’ve sent a demand letter to the City – putting them on notice that their actions are in violation of the First Amendment rights of our client. The demand letter, posted here<\/a>, is very clear:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The law is clear: the City has violated the Christian Action Network\u2019s rights under the First Amendment,” the demand letter states. “The City\u2019s refusal to approve CAN\u2019s applications due to disagreement with the content and viewpoint of the documentary violates CAN\u2019s First Amendment rights. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the government from ‘abridging the freedom of speech.'”<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The facts of this case are particularly troubling.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In light of the upcoming 10th anniversary commemorating the horrific attacks at Ground Zero, CAN had requested to show the documentary in seven different locations in the City. On one occasion, a Department representative rejected the requests saying the venues were “booked.” A review of the Department’s own scheduling calendar revealed that was not the case.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On another occasion, a Department representative told CAN that the documentary touched on a sensitive subject near the 9-11 anniversary and that because City schools would be in session, there would be a greater likelihood of children and youth viewing the documentary. The representative rejected the request saying children viewing the documentary might become upset.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here’s the truth: The City cannot refuse the organization an opportunity to show this documentary based upon its content. That’s viewpoint discrimination and a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In our demand letter, we’re urging the City to take immediate corrective action and permit the film to be shown, or face possible litigation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I will keep you posted on how this develops.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just wrote about\u00a0a disturbing new lawsuit by an atheist organization that is trying to stop the display of a cross at Ground Zero – part of a museum being built to commemorate the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001. You already\u00a0know that we will be filing an amicus brief backing the constitutional display of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,141,40,66],"tags":[250,184,144,743,251,252,756,765,253],"class_list":["post-741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-11","category-first-amendment","category-ground-zero","category-u-s-constitution","tag-9-11-documentary","tag-9-11-responder-tim-brown","tag-9-11-tribute","tag-aclj","tag-demand-letter","tag-first-amendment-violation","tag-new-york-city","tag-u-s-constitution","tag-viewpoint-discrimination"],"yoast_head":"\nNYC says No to 9-11 Documentary - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/07\/nyc-says-no-to-9-11-documentary.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NYC says No to 9-11 Documentary - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I just wrote about\u00a0a disturbing new lawsuit by an atheist organization that is trying to stop the display of a cross at Ground Zero – part of a museum being built to commemorate the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001. 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He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=741"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":773,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741\/revisions\/773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}