Jews for Jesus member sues Oyster Bay

OYSTER BAY, N.Y., July 3 (UPI) -- A member of Jews for Jesus is suing the town of Oyster Bay, on Long Island, New York, for preventing her from promoting the group's message in a public park.

In a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court, Susan Mendelson said police violated her First Amendment rights by forcing her to leave a public park and ticketing her for chatting about God with passersby, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

The complaint stems from an incident last July when police forced the Manhattan woman to leave the park because she was approaching strangers at a Dionne Warwick concert in Oyster Bay.

The wealthy hamlet has an ordinance forbidding people from making "a speech, address or harangue" in any park or beach without a permit.

However, Mendelson said that when she looked into getting one, she found the town had no permitting process.

The suit also said Mendelson returned with her religious pamphlets to the park in August but was escorted away by police and issued a summons.

"The town is reviewing the action and deciding how to proceed," a spokeswoman for Oyster Bay told The Post.