The Justice Department has put Fort Worth, Texas, on notice after police officers punished Christians who protested at a pride event.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent a notice to the city’s leaders warning that the Justice Department could take action if the city violates the First Amendment rights of Christians expressing their views in public.
The conflict centers on a June 27, 2026 incident that took place at the Trinity Pride Fest in Fort Worth. Christian street preachers, including retired police officer David Grisham and a man named Richard Penkoski, preached on public streets and sidewalks near the event.
Bystanders recorded video footage showing officers approaching the two men and threatening to cite them for speaking. An officer told the men, “If someone is offended by your talking, then we have a problem.”
“You’re going to ticket us for offensive speech?” one of the men replied.
“Yes, I am,” the officer said.
Another video showing the encounter showed the officers discussing whether certain terms or phrases related to biological sex could be categorized as offensive. They gave one of the men a citation for disorderly conduct. The officers justified their actions by claiming the bullhorn the men used disturbed nearby businesses.
🚨 JUST IN: AAG Harmeet Dhillon has just sent a notice to Fort Worth TX warning of FORMAL ACTION after local police officers were spotted threatening a Christian preacher with legal consequences simply over free speech, because it “offended” people
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 14, 2026
GREAT! Protect the liberty of… pic.twitter.com/4V8USmcd2h
Other videos posted on social media showed one of the female officers doing the same thing to other Christians at a Pride event in 2025. Critics say this shows that the city’s law enforcement has a pattern of cracking down on Christians expressing their views.
The footage went viral on social media, eliciting a major backlash against the Fort Worth Police Department. The department responded by arguing that the officers did not stop anyone from sharing their opinions in public. “At no time did officers prevent any individuals from expressing their views. Officers told the individuals they could continue exercising their rights without using an amplification device,” the department said in a statement.
However, the city acknowledged that some of the things officers said during the incident were inaccurate and that they would provide extra training to officers and new recruits on how to deal with situations related to free speech.
The authorities have not indicated that they plan to drop the citation, but the preacher is fighting it in court.
In her letter, Dhillon insisted that “Government actors cannot discriminate against viewpoints or restrict peaceful free speech just because it may be offensive” and that the Trump administration “will defend free speech, as protected by the Constitution.”
It’s not yet clear what action the Justice Department will take against the city.
