The City of Boston retaliated against Mark Sahady, Super Happy Fun America’s Vice President, for wanting to exercise his First Amendment rights. When SHFA’s petition to fly the straight pride flag at Boston City Hall was rejected, we filed a discrimination complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). Around the same time Mark applied for a permit to peacefully protest Hillary Clinton, who unsuccessfully ran for President of the United States with the support of the Democratic party and Mayor Marty Walsh.
A Boston city detective called Mark before the protest and asked if protestors would be carrying weapons even if legally licensed. He stated that he pulled the firearms license of Mark, that it had expired, and questioned him on registered firearms. The detective did this although he is not a member of the police department where our esteemed Vice President lives and was not entitled to this information. The detective contacted that police department the next day in retaliation for peaceful protest.
The following day armed police officers from the town in which our Vice President lives came to his residence without a search warrant and in violation of his Fourteenth Amendment due process and Second Amendment rights. When asked if they had a warrant to enter his residence, they stated that “they did not need one.” The officers eventually exited the residence and purportedly waited outside for a warrant to be issued. While outside the officers remarked that they were going to “tear the house apart once the warrant was issued”. Based upon these threats Mark acquiesced and allowed the officers to re-enter and confiscate his properly locked and secured firearms. When he applied to renew his License to Carry (LTC), it was rejected by the Malden Police Chief by labeling him an “unsuitable person”.
Mark is a combat veteran, has never been convicted of a crime, and meets all the requirements for having an LTC. The City of Boston retaliated against him and his own city deprived him of his Constitutionally guaranteed rights. Super Happy Fun America is opposed to such tyrannical actions of government. We will not be deterred from exercising our First Amendment rights at the Boston Straight Pride Parade.