In late June 2026, a Fort Worth Police officer issued a citation to David Grisham, a street preacher and retired federal law enforcement officer, during the Trinity Pride Fest on June 27. The officer, Sara Stogner, cited Grisham for speech deemed "offensive." A widely circulated video shows the confrontation, including Stogner stating, "If someone is offended by your talking, then we have a problem."

Grisham responded, "That's a constitutional violation of our rights," questioning the basis for the citation. His civil rights attorneys announced on July 3 their intent to challenge the citation, arguing that Stogner failed to conduct a decibel check as required by the city's noise ordinance and Texas law, which considers noise above 85 decibels unreasonable. Instead, Grisham was cited for "engaging in peaceful and protected speech."

Legal experts disagree with the officer's justification. Brennan VanderVeen, program counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), emphasized, "The First Amendment does not allow government officials to shut down speech simply on account of it being 'offensive.'" He noted that while the government can regulate certain conduct or excessive noise levels, penalizing speech because it offends listeners is prohibited.

This week, the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division launched an inquiry to determine if Officer Stogner violated First Amendment rights in this incident. VanderVeen added, "Actively training police officers around First Amendment standards would be a positive step," highlighting that "government officials being unaware of basic First Amendment standards is a persistent problem."

Sources