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letters Why are street preachers alloWed to break the rules? I have loved Bele Chere for years but my enjoyment has increasingly been destroyed by the overwhelming presence of the street preachers throughout the festival. In one circuit of the festival I passed four separate groups loudly proclaiming their religious beliefs with the use of microphones. Bele Chere organizers have been quoted as saying they can do nothing about this because the law grants these people the right to free speech. What about the rights of the street entertainers who are forbidden to perform during Bele Chere without a permit? They are removed without hesitation. When the street preachers stand above the crowd on boxes, use microphones, sometimes sing — how is this not a performance? Even though city noise ordinances are lifted for the duration of the festival, according to the festival policy, “Amplification is allowed by performer permit only.” (See the full policy at avl.mx/iv.) What is the legal justification for applying this rule to everyone except the street preachers? There is also a statement in the festival policies giving organizers the right to remove anyone if they “deem the content of your performance to be in any way offensive to any of our festival-goers.” The reaction on the street shows that the message booming through Bele Chere, much of which insists that most of us will burn in hell, is offensive to many people. But it seems that the people saying these inflammatory things are exempt not only from the rules for street performers, but also from the regulations relating to offensive content.
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Bele Chere provides space for any religious or political group to have a booth where people can express their beliefs. Why is one group allowed to break all the rules and, by so doing, create a dominating and, to many, offensive, atmosphere throughout the festival? — Terry Wyszynski Asheville
there are loving Ways to preach As I listened and watched the group from a baptist church in Knoxville shout (actually scream) their incendiary message of sin, hellfire and damnation at Bele Chere Friday night, I could not help but appreciate the different approach of the group from Texas with Revive Asheville who visited our city last April. The latter group made numerous advance trips here to build relationships and to learn what they could do to help the people of Asheville. In April they came for a week (no one-night stands for them) and during that week they served 6,400 meals not only to their invited guests but to all, including the homeless, who were hungry. They had numerous work projects such as the makeover of nine houses and landscape, maintenance and cleanup jobs. And when they went out to evangelize, they went out in twos (as in Mark, chapter 6) and spoke quietly with people and only with those who accepted their invitation to hear of the joy of having Jesus Christ in your life . They did not insult, abuse or provoke people by calling them sinners and liars. I suppose all LeTTerS conTInUe
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mountainx.com • AUGUST 8 - AUGUST 14, 2012 5