AMISH LAWSUIT FILED TO RESTORE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN NEW YORK
October 22, 2019
Attorneys James Mermigis and Kevin Barry filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court (Seneca County, NY) on behalf of an Amish family which has been irreparably harmed by the June 2019 repeal of the religious exemption in New York. The Motion for Preliminary Injunction and the Summon and Complaint for this case are linked below.
Oral argument for the Preliminary Injunction motion to stay the repeal law is scheduled for October 29, 2019 at 2PM in Waterloo, NY.
For 242 years, the New York State Legislature valued religious liberty, but this year's Legislature ended that streak on June 13, 2019. The New York state constitution protected the religious liberty of the Amish community in NY, and the religious liberty of all other NYers, from 1777-2019.
The lawsuit asserts that the repeal violates both the Article 1, Section 3 right to religious liberty and the Article 11 right to attend public school. The new repeal law now coerces parents to inject products made by Merck, Sanofi Pasteur, Glaxo Smithkline and Pfizer into their healthy children to attend public or private school.
The repeal law has also irreparably harmed the Amish community by discriminating against them regarding transportation. Due to the repeal law, healthy Amish children are no longer allowed to ride on the school buses, forcing elementary school age children to either walk along 55mph highways or ride in horse and buggy to school on those 55mph highways shared with cars and trucks.
The 24 student Amish-only school which Plaintiff's children attend is in this photo. This randomly taken Google maps satellite image illustrates the danger as it captured a tanker truck speeding by the school.
BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ON THE AMISH/MENNONITE COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES, 1682 - PRESENT
The Amish are a religious group of Protestant Christians who believe in adult baptism, pacifism, the separation of church and state, and the importance of the community to faith. The Amish denomination is closely related to the Mennonites and to Anabaptists.
Amish and Mennonite groups have been in the United States since for more than 400 years. Thirteen Mennonite families emigrated to North America in 1683 seeking religious freedom, one year after William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1682. Penn was a Quaker. Penn promoted the Pennsylvania colony as a place promising religious freedom. The Pennsylvania colony welcomed religious denominations who were being persecuted in Europe. In 1737, twenty one Amish families emigrated to Pennsylvania from the Netherlands, seeking religious freedom and freedom from state persecution.
The first Amish settlers arrived in New York state in 1831, in part because New York's Constitution protects free exercise of religion . Today, there are over 12,000 Amish New York citizens living in 89 church districts across the state.
Some Amish may believe that putting faith in the pharmacuetical corporations which manufacture vaccines is like placing faith in man above God.
You can support this lawsuit by contributing to First Freedoms at www.paypal.me/firstfreedomsinc or via Venmo @First-Freedoms.
************************
Information for those considering traveling to Waterloo, NY compiled by Chirsta Kinsly. (Thank you!)
OCT 29 WATERLOO LOGISTICAL DETAILS (Compiled by Christa Kinsley - thank you!)
The quest to protect and reinstate liberty continues next Tuesday as we stand in support of our Amish friends locally and statewide who have also been affected by the religious exemption repeal.
Since we called Bath a small town and compared it to Mayberry, I’m not even sure how to compare Waterloo! Think 50% smaller with even less infrastructure and accommodations for a large crowd. Once again, please plan ahead, be patient and thoughtful both to locals and supporters.
Remember that at any given moment, you are the face of the entire movement, so let’s represent each other well in our decorum.
LOCATION: Courthouse address: 48 W. Williams Street, Waterloo, 13165. Lafayette Park is a public park across the street from the courthouse, a good deal smaller than the park in Bath but it should still accommodate our numbers well. Also immediately to the west of the courthouse is a playground and large grassy field for restless kids.
PARKING: There are multiple parking lots near the courthouse. Street parking is also permitted on Main Street and on most side streets, which are plentiful behind and around the courthouse. Please watch for any signs saying otherwise and try to avoid cluttering the parking in front of local businesses.
NO PARKING at the Seneca County Courthouse, please. These spaces need to remain available for those doing business at the courthouse. Also no parking is allowed on the small side streets around the perimeter of Lafayette Park.
Nearby Parking Lots:
** VFW, 29 W Elisha St, immediately behind the courthouse. Please DO NOT park in the parking spots up against the VFW building itself. The rest of the lot is available for use.
** 22 Locust St, a large municipal lot next to a closed antique store and running behind the village offices, parallel to Main Street
** 3 Oak St, parking lot of the Waterloo Community Center, plus more parking just past there on Oak Island
** SE corner of East Williams St and North Virginia St, a small municipal parking lot
BATHROOMS: Once again, bathroom accommodations will be slim.
** The Village of Waterloo has a small public bathroom on Oak Island (at the end of Oak St)
** The Waterloo Community Center (3 Oak St) has restrooms inside. The Center will be open to the public 2-5pm.
RESTAURANTS: There are only 3 restaurants downtown in walking distance -
Ciccino’s Pizzeria, 22 E Main St
Corner Deli and Bakery, 1 E Main St (closes at 3pm)
La Fiesta Brava Mexican, 9 E Main St
There are a couple small diners and a few fast food restaurants within a short drive.
A great local Café as well as local tourist destination is Sauders Country Store, a Mennonite bulk foods store (2146 River Rd, Seneca Falls, 2.5 miles from courthouse, open til 6pm).
Please be patient and courteous to the Court staff, security personnel and residents of Waterloo
October 22, 2019
Attorneys James Mermigis and Kevin Barry filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court (Seneca County, NY) on behalf of an Amish family which has been irreparably harmed by the June 2019 repeal of the religious exemption in New York. The Motion for Preliminary Injunction and the Summon and Complaint for this case are linked below.
Oral argument for the Preliminary Injunction motion to stay the repeal law is scheduled for October 29, 2019 at 2PM in Waterloo, NY.
For 242 years, the New York State Legislature valued religious liberty, but this year's Legislature ended that streak on June 13, 2019. The New York state constitution protected the religious liberty of the Amish community in NY, and the religious liberty of all other NYers, from 1777-2019.
The lawsuit asserts that the repeal violates both the Article 1, Section 3 right to religious liberty and the Article 11 right to attend public school. The new repeal law now coerces parents to inject products made by Merck, Sanofi Pasteur, Glaxo Smithkline and Pfizer into their healthy children to attend public or private school.
The repeal law has also irreparably harmed the Amish community by discriminating against them regarding transportation. Due to the repeal law, healthy Amish children are no longer allowed to ride on the school buses, forcing elementary school age children to either walk along 55mph highways or ride in horse and buggy to school on those 55mph highways shared with cars and trucks.
The 24 student Amish-only school which Plaintiff's children attend is in this photo. This randomly taken Google maps satellite image illustrates the danger as it captured a tanker truck speeding by the school.
BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ON THE AMISH/MENNONITE COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES, 1682 - PRESENT
The Amish are a religious group of Protestant Christians who believe in adult baptism, pacifism, the separation of church and state, and the importance of the community to faith. The Amish denomination is closely related to the Mennonites and to Anabaptists.
Amish and Mennonite groups have been in the United States since for more than 400 years. Thirteen Mennonite families emigrated to North America in 1683 seeking religious freedom, one year after William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1682. Penn was a Quaker. Penn promoted the Pennsylvania colony as a place promising religious freedom. The Pennsylvania colony welcomed religious denominations who were being persecuted in Europe. In 1737, twenty one Amish families emigrated to Pennsylvania from the Netherlands, seeking religious freedom and freedom from state persecution.
The first Amish settlers arrived in New York state in 1831, in part because New York's Constitution protects free exercise of religion . Today, there are over 12,000 Amish New York citizens living in 89 church districts across the state.
Some Amish may believe that putting faith in the pharmacuetical corporations which manufacture vaccines is like placing faith in man above God.
You can support this lawsuit by contributing to First Freedoms at www.paypal.me/firstfreedomsinc or via Venmo @First-Freedoms.
************************
Information for those considering traveling to Waterloo, NY compiled by Chirsta Kinsly. (Thank you!)
OCT 29 WATERLOO LOGISTICAL DETAILS (Compiled by Christa Kinsley - thank you!)
The quest to protect and reinstate liberty continues next Tuesday as we stand in support of our Amish friends locally and statewide who have also been affected by the religious exemption repeal.
Since we called Bath a small town and compared it to Mayberry, I’m not even sure how to compare Waterloo! Think 50% smaller with even less infrastructure and accommodations for a large crowd. Once again, please plan ahead, be patient and thoughtful both to locals and supporters.
Remember that at any given moment, you are the face of the entire movement, so let’s represent each other well in our decorum.
LOCATION: Courthouse address: 48 W. Williams Street, Waterloo, 13165. Lafayette Park is a public park across the street from the courthouse, a good deal smaller than the park in Bath but it should still accommodate our numbers well. Also immediately to the west of the courthouse is a playground and large grassy field for restless kids.
PARKING: There are multiple parking lots near the courthouse. Street parking is also permitted on Main Street and on most side streets, which are plentiful behind and around the courthouse. Please watch for any signs saying otherwise and try to avoid cluttering the parking in front of local businesses.
NO PARKING at the Seneca County Courthouse, please. These spaces need to remain available for those doing business at the courthouse. Also no parking is allowed on the small side streets around the perimeter of Lafayette Park.
Nearby Parking Lots:
** VFW, 29 W Elisha St, immediately behind the courthouse. Please DO NOT park in the parking spots up against the VFW building itself. The rest of the lot is available for use.
** 22 Locust St, a large municipal lot next to a closed antique store and running behind the village offices, parallel to Main Street
** 3 Oak St, parking lot of the Waterloo Community Center, plus more parking just past there on Oak Island
** SE corner of East Williams St and North Virginia St, a small municipal parking lot
BATHROOMS: Once again, bathroom accommodations will be slim.
** The Village of Waterloo has a small public bathroom on Oak Island (at the end of Oak St)
** The Waterloo Community Center (3 Oak St) has restrooms inside. The Center will be open to the public 2-5pm.
RESTAURANTS: There are only 3 restaurants downtown in walking distance -
Ciccino’s Pizzeria, 22 E Main St
Corner Deli and Bakery, 1 E Main St (closes at 3pm)
La Fiesta Brava Mexican, 9 E Main St
There are a couple small diners and a few fast food restaurants within a short drive.
A great local Café as well as local tourist destination is Sauders Country Store, a Mennonite bulk foods store (2146 River Rd, Seneca Falls, 2.5 miles from courthouse, open til 6pm).
Please be patient and courteous to the Court staff, security personnel and residents of Waterloo
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