City and Law Enforcement Facing Federal Lawsuits Over Unfounded Arrests of Religious Speakers
Contact: Tom Ciesielka, 312.422.1333, tc@tcpr.net
(March 24, 2025 – Chicago) A proliferation of baseless arrests of religious speakers by the Chicago Police Department has drawn attention to an apparent unwritten policy of viewpoint discrimination being exercised by the city and its law enforcement officers. Attorneys at Mauck & Baker, a Chicago law firm point to a federal lawsuit filed on March 14, 2025, in United States District Court, seeking redress and injunctive relief on behalf of street preachers forcibly arrested on two separate occasions while evangelizing near Millenium Park.
This is a repeated pattern of false arrests of religious speakers for violating a “no amplification” ordinance which does not exist, according to attorney Robin Rubrecht of Mauck & Baker.
“Chicago Police appear to have adopted an unwritten, unlawful, and unconstitutional policy of targeting and arresting religious speakers who use amplification, regardless of whether they actually violate any noise ordinance,” explained Rubrecht. “Whether through ignorance or by intent, this is unacceptable and must stop.”
Rubrecht is representing Ethan Acevedo, who was arrested in March 2024 while engaging in Christian evangelism in a neighborhood near the Moody Bible Institute, where Acevedo was enrolled in a ministry preparation program. Acevedo, along with others from the school, was speaking about the religious ramifications of abortion across the street from a Planned Parenthood facility at 1200 N. LaSalle Drive when he was arrested. Though using an amplifier, neither Acevedo, nor those in his group, violated the Chicago city ordinance for which he was forcibly arrested. That ordinance, CHI., ILL., CODE § 8-32-0702, allows people to use a loudspeaker, bullhorn, amplifier, public address system, musical instrument, radio or device that plays recorded music, to generate any sound, for the purpose of communication or entertainment,” as long as it is not “louder than average conversational level at a distance of 100 feet or more, measured vertically or horizontally, from the source.”
Acevedo, shared Rubrecht, was taken to a police station, where he was booked and then held for more than six hours before being released.
“No one read Ethan his rights at any time between his arrest and his release,” Rubrecht said, adding that Acevedo was summoned to court for “Amplified Sound” and “Disorderly Conduct” charges, for which he was found not guilty of the first and had charges dropped for the second.
In December 2024, Mauck & Baker filed a federal lawsuit on Acevedo’s behalf against the City of Chicago and the primary police officer involved in the wrongful arrest. The attorneys are seeking an injunction against the named officer and the city to prevent repeat mistreatment of Acevedo and violation of his rights.
“Based on the brazenness of Ethan’s arrest, we were sure we would soon see more examples of unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination by Chicago law enforcement officials,” continued Rubrecht, “but the federal lawsuit filed last week confirms that this unwritten policy appears to be the Chicago Police Department’s way of dealing with the religious rights of people in the Windy City. Analysts have shown that repeated police misconduct cost Chicago taxpayers almost $150 million over a four-year period. It’s no wonder that Chicago was named the ‘most corrupt city in America’ several years in a row, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago report. It’s time to hold the City of Chicago accountable for abusing the religious rights of those who wish to share their sincerely held beliefs.”
Read the Verified Complaint, filed December 9, 2024, by attorneys at Mauck & Baker in United States District Court – Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, on behalf of Ethan Acevedo in Acevedo v. Zatora, et al. here [ https://www.scribd.com/document/841805867/Acevedo-in-Acevedo-v-Zatora-et-al]
Read the Complaint, filed March 14, 2025, by attorneys at American Center for Law & Justice in United States District Court – Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, in Raio, et al. v. City of Chicago, et al. here. [http://media.aclj.org/pdf/Complaint-Chicago-READY-TO-FILE_Redacted.pdf].
About Mauck & Baker, LLC
Mauck & Baker, established in Chicago in 2001, is nationally known for its practice in the area of religious liberty. It works with individuals, religious institutions, and businesses. For more information, please visit mauckbaker.com.or more information, please visit mauckbaker.com.
