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Jeff Gray — "Honor Your Oath"
Handcuffed for holding a sign that read "God Bless the Homeless Vets."
What happened
On January 27, 2022, Army veteran and First Amendment auditor Jeff Gray stood on a public sidewalk outside Alpharetta City Hall holding a sign reading "God Bless the Homeless Vets" — and filmed.
Lt. Arick Furr told Gray that "panhandling" was illegal and ordered him to leave, though Gray was not soliciting anything. When Gray stayed, Furr detained him, demanded ID, handcuffed and searched him, and turned off his camera, claiming it was to preserve "battery." On release, officers banned Gray from the City Hall sidewalk. Officer Hal Shoffeitt told him that making "controversy out of your own words" was disorderly conduct.
The lawsuit
Gray v. City of Alpharetta was filed January 31, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (No. 1:23-cv-00463-MLB), with FIRE representing Gray.
The outcome
The case settled on July 15, 2024: the city paid $55,000, alongside city statements on the panhandling ordinance, officer discipline, and training commitments.
The video
Gray’s own recording of the encounter, published by FIRE, is below.
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