‘You’re Going to Ticket Us for Offensive Speech?’ A Fort Worth Officer’s Warning at a Pride Festival Has Sparked a First Amendment Debate

A video of a Fort Worth police officer warning a street preacher he could be cited for offensive speech at Trinity Pride Fest has gone viral after being shared on X by @libsoftiktok. The video was originally posted to Instagram by @truefaithamerica.

"If someone is offended by your talking, then we have a problem," the officer said.

The preacher, Rich Penkoski, pushed back on the officer's reasoning. "That is a constitutional violation of your rights if you shut us down for talking about your speech," he said.

 The officer clarified her position, saying, "No, if they are offended by your speech," to which Penkoski replied, "Okay, fair." Penkoski appeared to be acknowledging her clarification rather than conceding the legal point, before the exchange escalated further.

The officer then told Penkoski she intended to cite him. "Okay, then I'll write you this ticket, and we'll go from there," she said. 

Penkoski responded with disbelief. "Wait, you're going to ticket us for offensive speech?" he asked. "Yes, absolutely," the officer said, later describing the basis as disorderly conduct.

Penkoski told the officer he was a retired federal law enforcement officer with 26 years of service. She responded that federal jurisdiction differed from local authority. "So it's federal. So this has nothing to do with local," she said, adding, "If someone complains that your language or what you're saying is offensive." 

Fort Worth police spokesman Buddy Calzada said the department reviewed the June 27 encounter and acknowledged the officer "made certain statements that were not accurate," according to the Christian Post. 

The department maintained that the ticket was originally issued to fellow preacher David Grisham, stemming from his use of a bullhorn in violation of the city's noise ordinance, not the content of his speech.

Most reactions in the comments sided with the preacher. One commenter wrote, "Viewpoint discrimination. The greatest First Amendment sin." 

Another directed criticism at the department itself, writing, "@fortworthpd WTH is wrong with your department? This is getting embarrassing how many times I keep seeing my local PD demonstrating how pathetically trained these officers are on the most basic of rights."

In response to the incident, the department said it would provide officers and new trainees with "refresher training" on First Amendment protections, according to Christian Post.

A separate commenter argued from a legal standpoint, writing, "She is wrong. Offensive speech is still free speech. She needs some remedial training."

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify all portions of the exchange beyond what was captured on video and confirmed through Fort Worth Police Department statements. The details above reflect the video as shared on Instagram by @truefaithamerica and on X by @libsoftiktok, supplemented by reporting from the Christian Post. The identity of the officer has not been publicly released by the department.