A Southern California city council has invited a local mom to pray at their next meeting after she was told by the mayor they “don’t do prayer.”
The City of Ventura has invited Tarin Swain, a local mother of six, to return to a City Council meeting on June 26 to re-offer her prayer and comment on the proposed Community Autonomy, Rights, and Equality (CARE) policy, according to First Liberty Institute, a religious liberty advocacy group.
Swain, a marketing manager for Moms For America, took the podium in March to voice concerns about the CARE policy, which seeks to establish Ventura as a “sanctuary city” for LGBT-identified communities, immigrants, abortion and other “reproductive rights.”
At the March meeting, Swain began her allotted 60 seconds of public comment by stating, “I am a mother of six, and the Ventura County Public Schools socially transitioned my daughter without my consent,” which elicited shouts of “lies, lies, lies” from the crowd. Swain continued, “I’ve come here today to offer nothing but prayer, and I want to lift up my Father in Heaven.”
As she began to pray, some in the crowd began booing. Ventura Mayor Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios intervened and called for order, saying, “We don’t do prayer. Please finish your comments.”
Despite the disruptions, Swain completed her prayer, stating, “I do pray all this in the name of Jesus, the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. … Jesus is the King of kings and He is the Lord of lords.”
Attorneys say all other commenters were allowed to speak freely, even a bird puppeteer who voiced his comments through squawking. “The censorship was reserved solely for Tarin Swain’s prayer,” First Liberty said in a statement.
While First Liberty did not share the city’s full statement, First Liberty Associate Counsel Erin Smith told CP, “The City of Ventura’s response made it clear that they do not have a policy banning prayer during public comments, despite what the mayor said and did.” The city requested that their official response remain confidential, limiting further details, Smith added.
Nevertheless, the invitation for Swain to return was a welcome acknowledgment of the error.
“We applaud the city for recognizing the constitutional error and taking positive action to remedy the unfortunate censorship imposed on Mrs. Swain’s prayer,” said Nate Kellum, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute. “Mrs. Swain looks forward to returning to the meeting and praying without interruption.”
Swain’s upcoming appearance at the June 26 meeting will allow her to pray and address the CARE policy, which remains a polarizing issue in Ventura. When asked whether she’s prepared any remarks, Swain told CP, “I’m not sure yet and trusting that the Holy Spirit will give me the words just as He did the first time. I’m trusting in Matthew 10:19.”
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