Pubdate: Mon, 04 Aug 2003
Source: Star-Ledger (NJ)
Copyright: 2003 Newark Morning Ledger Co
Contact:  http://www.nj.com/starledger/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/424
Author: Jeffery C. Mays

KEEPING PEACE RAISES UPROAR

Church Leaders Complain About Noise Rule

Dressed in fatigues and combat boots, the men from La Hermosa Pentecostal 
Church in Newark are on the front line of America's war on drugs.

Standing on corners haunted by drug addicts and dealers, they amplify their 
message of God with microphones and loudspeakers.

But Newark police say not all law-abiding citizens of the neighborhoods are 
pleased about their presence. They say that without a noise permit, the 
street preachers are breaking the law.

Still, in a city where the church vote is extremely important, a feud has 
broken out between law enforcement officials and lawmakers over the 
definition of peace and quiet.

Street preachers have long been a fixture on the tough streets of Newark, 
but they have begun to run afoul of urban pioneers moving into new houses 
in neighborhoods that are still borderline.

The Newark Police Department, acting on noise complaints from some 
residents, has begun warning preachers that they will enforce a new noise 
policy the department drafted in May. It requires applicants for sound 
permits to obtain the signatures of 51 percent of the "heads of households" 
within a block of an event.

Police Director Robert Rankin said the policy allows police to take the 
needs of the entire community into consideration.

"It's a balancing act," Rankin told the City Council in a recent appearance 
to discuss the police budget. "We have to try to balance a person's right 
for peace and harmony and a person's right to express a belief in the Lord."

Rankin said that while many churches don't bother to get a permit to use 
sound equipment, his department hasn't cracked down on those who violate 
the ordinance.

"We don't give anyone a hard time about a permit," Rankin said.

The Rev. Ramon Hernandez, pastor and founder of First Pentecostal Church 
Gethsemane on Bond Street, disagreed.

"When I do a service in the parking lot, the police are coming like I 
killed somebody," he said.

In June, a handful of street preachers appeared before the City Council, 
complaining that they had been told to turn off their amplifiers or face 
ticketing and fines.

Council members reacted angrily, voicing concern that police were going 
after the wrong element. They said the noise ordinance was intended to 
govern things like street fairs and block parties, not drive preachers from 
the streets.

"I'm not sure what our priorities are," said Councilwoman-at-large Gayle 
Chaneyfield-Jenkins, fingering a gold cross around her neck as she spoke. 
"We don't go after the drug dealer on the corner, but we go after 
ministers. It's like 'Alice in Wonderland.'"

Council President Donald Bradley said, "The one thing we don't want is the 
entire church community descending on City Hall saying that we are denying 
them their constitutional right."

Religious congregations form a large bloc of voters in Newark and wield a 
lot of clout with city government.

Until recently, the city sponsored a gospel concert featuring some of the 
biggest names in the field. Some of Newark's most ambitious social programs 
are faith-based. Every council meeting begins with a prayer led by a 
minister from a different city ward, praying in one of the many languages 
- -- Portuguese, Spanish, Creole -- spoken by residents.

One recent evening, members of La Hermosa Pentecostal Church stood on a 
corner handing out fliers about how God saved them from a life of drugs and 
addiction.

Harry Torres, 26, head of Warning Cry Ministry, the church's street 
ministry, grabbed the microphone from the Rev. Leslie Ramos and began 
praying, his words echoing through two large speakers on a gritty stretch 
of Broad Street.

"We are a living testimonial how God can change a life about drug addiction 
or prostitution," Torres said.

Ramos, a Barringer High School graduate and former cocaine addict, said the 
issue is so important that members of the church were willing to break the law.

"We are risking our (public address) system being confiscated and being 
fined because ... we can't allow anyone to deter us from our objective," he 
said.

Ramos said his problems with the police began after new houses began 
popping up on nearby South and Thomas streets. Purchased by Portuguese and 
Brazilian immigrants, the new houses have improved the neighborhood, once 
in a state of disrepair.

"This is the best the neighborhood has been," Ramos said. "Nobody wanted to 
come in the neighborhood before."

But with the new neighbors have come noise complaints. And while things are 
better, addicts still roam the street and groups of men stand in front of a 
liquor store. Ramos said the neighborhood still needs him to preach words 
of hope.

City Business Administrator Richard Monteilh said that while he appreciates 
the work of the city's religious congregations, the policy requiring 51 
percent of households to sign a petition seems equitable.

The city also is examining what decibel level would be appropriate for the 
sound equipment. Monteilh said he would be happy to sit down with the group 
of ministers because he didn't know they were feeling "pressed" by the policy.

Rankin told the council he also would re-examine the 51 percent policy.

Ramos -- an unofficial spokesman for a group of city clergy -- said pastors 
are willing to compromise so they can operate legally. He said his group 
alone has arranged for 300 people to undergo drug treatment, many of whom 
asked for help during street outreach.

Several pastors said getting signatures from 51 percent of households to 
sign a petition -- particularly in some of the city's toughest 
neighborhoods -- can be a daunting task. But they said taking their message 
to the street is the only way they can reach a bigger audience.

"Sometimes people don't walk into church, so the church has to go to the 
people," said the Rev. David Rodriguez, co-pastor at Ebenezer Pentecostal 
Temple on Montclair Avenue.

Staff writer Steve Chambers contributed to this report.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens