TRI In The News

Attorney: Jailed Pastor 'Harassed' by City Officials

From One News Now

Original article available here

A Phoenix-area pastor is behind bars for operating a Bible study on his own property.

Michael Salman has been holding Bible studies in his home since the early 2000s and in 2007 received a letter from the city saying he was violating zoning codes. He is currently represented by The Rutherford Institute.

"In 2009, they sent in a squad of policemen -- they went through his home and cited him for 67 violations of their zoning code," Institute founder John Whitehead explains. "Thereafter, he built a small building in his backyard where he started holding his Bible studies."

The city -- which in a letter describes Salman's backyard building as a "barn" -- cited safety concerns. Salman offered to comply, installing exit signs and building a bathroom based on specifications for handicapped people.

According to Whitehead, there was also an issue regarding the gravel road on his property. "They demanded that he pave the road and put curbs ... which at that point he refused to do," he notes.

And then -- "Several years ago he was holding a barbecue with 20 people in his backyard and the fire department came into his home and then they called the police," adds Whitehead. "So to me, as I look at it on its face, it certainly looks like governmental harassment."

Salman was given 60 days in jail, and began serving that sentence on Monday. He was also given three years' probation and fined $12,000.

Rutherford Institute is currently exploring ways to get Salman out of jail and has filed an appeal with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on constitutional grounds.