Did Pastor Aden Lose His First Amendment Rights on a Philadelphia Sidewalk?

On June 7, 2026, Pastor Aden Rusfeldt did what preachers in this country have done freely for more than two centuries. He stood on a public street corner in Philadelphia — the very city where American liberty was born — and he shared a message of love, hope, and salvation. He carried no weapon. He threw no punch. He blocked no doorway. He simply opened his mouth and spoke about Jesus.

For that, he was handcuffed, dragged away, and charged with "failure to disperse."

Let that sink in.

In the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, just steps from where the First Amendment was conceived, a pastor was arrested for the peaceful exercise of the two freedoms that amendment was written to protect above all others: the freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion.

You do not have to share Pastor Aden's faith to feel the chill of what happened here. You do not have to agree with a single word he preached. Because the principle at stake is bigger than any one sermon, any one street corner, or any one man. The question is simple, and it should frighten every American regardless of belief: Do we still have the right to stand on a public sidewalk and speak our convictions out loud?

If the answer in Philadelphia is "no" for a Christian pastor today, then it can be "no" for you tomorrow — for your cause, your protest, your prayer, your voice. A sidewalk silenced for one is a sidewalk silenced for all. The First Amendment does not protect only the speech we like. It protects the speech that makes the powerful uncomfortable. That is the entire point. That is why it exists. And that is precisely why it is worth defending now, when it is being tested.

What was Pastor Aden's crime? He refused to be quiet. The order to "disperse" was, in truth, an order to stop preaching — an order no government in America has the lawful authority to give to a peaceful man on a public street. When the police closed in, Pastor Aden made sure the message would not be silenced. He told his companion to walk away holding the Jesus banner high, and that banner left the scene unbroken even as he was led away in cuffs. He took the arrest so the message could keep going. That is the heart of a shepherd.

But conviction alone cannot win a courtroom. Justice in America is not free, and the cost of defending these freedoms is steep.

Pastor Aden now faces two separate legal battles, and he needs your help to fight both:

First, he must defend himself against the criminal charge of "failure to disperse." This requires an experienced criminal defense attorney who understands constitutional law and will not let this charge quietly stick to a man who did nothing but exercise his rights.

Second, he intends to hold the City of Philadelphia accountable through a civil lawsuit. This is not about revenge — it is about precedent. A successful civil case will send an unmistakable message to every city in America: you cannot arrest a citizen for peaceful speech and expect to escape the consequences. This requires a second attorney and significant resources.

That is why we have set a goal of $15,000 — and every dollar matters. These funds will pay for both attorneys, court costs, and the long fight ahead. This is not a fight Pastor Aden chose. It is one that was forced upon him the moment those handcuffs closed. But it is a fight that, win or lose, will help protect free speech in Philadelphia and across the entire United States.

When you give, you are not only standing with one pastor. You are standing for the bedrock principle that government may not silence peaceful speech on public ground. You are standing for the protester, the preacher, the dissenter, and the ordinary citizen who simply wants the right to be heard. You are standing for the Constitution itself.

The people who founded this nation pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor so that no American would ever be jailed for speaking freely. Pastor Aden has now paid a price for that freedom. Will you help him carry it forward?

Please give whatever you can today. Please share this campaign far and wide. And please pray for Pastor Aden as he steps into this fight. Every gift, every share, every prayer brings us closer to justice — and brings America one step back toward the freedoms we were promised.

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." — 2 Corinthians 3:17