The YouTube channel named HonorYourOaths Civil Rights Investigations, run by Jeffrey Gray, posted a video titled “Banned from Town, Milledgeville GA” on Tuesday, Feb. 14.
Gray, according to his YouTube description, is a civil rights investigator, First Amendment auditor and second amendment auditor. His videos pertain to “asserting his rights” and his tag line appears to be “Stay cool, be polite, assert your rights, and always film the police.”
This video features Gray in downtown Milledgeville in front of Metropolis Café at 138 N. Wayne St. holding a cardboard sign that says “God Bless the Homeless Vets” on Feb. 6.
At the beginning of the video, he can be seen saying hello to people walking along the sidewalk and saying the same phrase on his sign. On screen he has a caption stating, “Standing on a public sidewalk while peacefully engaging in freedom of speech.” One minute into the video, a Milledgeville Police Department officer approaches Gray. In the video, the officer asks if Gray is a local and he informs them that he is from Florida but is currently on a road trip with his wife. When asked for ID or the reason he is in Milledgeville, Gray declines to answer or give ID. Gray informs the officer that God led his heart to do this and called him to be there.
The officer inquired of Gray if he was panhandling, which refers to begging in the streets. Gray declines to answer the question and tells the officer that panhandling is a constitutional right. The conversation continues with Gray telling the officer about his veteran service and why he is downtown.
“I was in the U.S. army and was a 88 Mike, a military transportation specialist,” said Gray. “But yeah, I’m out here today to say God bless homeless veterans. God put this in my heart to do, so my wife and I are on a trip right now to do this.”
According to the incident report, law enforcement was dispatched due to the report of an unwanted person. Business owner David Simmons reported that Gray was asking for money in front of his businesses and turning away business. However, the YouTube video shows that Gray, at least in the span of time shown, was not asking for money.
“Gray stated he was in front of Metropolis Café because he felt God asked him to do it there and would not leave unless he was trespassed,” wrote reporting officer Cecilio Reyes.
At 5:16 in the video, a second officer can be seen showing up and both officers inform Gray, in the video, that a small portion of sidewalk in front of these businesses is privately owned and that the owner has requested he move. According to acres.co, a free mapping service that shows land ownership data for over 150 million U.S. properties, the property line does not extend onto the sidewalk.
However, both officers still offer Gray to move down to the corner of the street that is public to continue his blessing, but he refuses. After this refusal, the police inform him that if he does not move, they will have to ask the owners if they would like Gray trespassed. The second officer also reaffirms to Gray that if he is panhandling, that is not allowed.
“And here is the other thing, it is a city ordinance that you cannot do panhandling. That does apply to the whole city,” says an unidentified officer at 5:35 in the video. In reply, Gray responds, “Well if there is a city ordinance then that is unconstitutional.”
Gray informs police again that God called him to do this service in his current position and throughout the conversation reaffirms that he will not move unless trespassed. As a result of this, the officers asked Simmons if he would like to trespass Gray and he agreed. According to the incident report, Gray signed the notice of prohibited entry form and left the area without incident.
Throughout the video, conversation remained civil, and Gray was not detained at any point.
Upon posting the video, Gray wrote in the description and comments, “City of Milledgeville Georgia Police Officers enforce the feelings of a local business owner (David Bernard Simmons) over defending our constitutionally protected rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly on a traditional public forum. I was criminally trespassed from an entire city block including the public sidewalk.”
As of The Baldwin Bulletin’s deadline, the video has received over 71,000 views and 3,000 comments. In addition, commentors have flooded the City of Milledgeville and Milledgeville Police Department Facebook pages. Many of the commentors appear to not be from Milledgeville or Georgia.