El Paso, Texas Trying to "Silence Christians?"
Opponents of El Paso mayor's same-sex benefits plan targeted for prosecution

El Paso must be "the safest city in America" for everyone but Christians. When researchers surveyed the area for crimes, they must have missed the destruction of free speech.

Since 2010, the Texas border town has been managed by a mayor intent on cracking down on area churches and shutting them out of the political process. It all started two years ago when the city council passed a measure giving health benefits to homosexual partners--in plain violation of the state's marriage amendment.

Area residents didn't agree with the ordinance so they put a referendum on the ballot to void it. "We saw this as a stepping stone to gay 'marriage,'" said one churchgoer.

So did several others, and the repeal passed overwhelmingly. Mayor John Cook, angry that the city voted him down, decided to ignore the will of the people and force another vote in the city council. It squeaked through on one ballot--his own.

The town was outraged. "We resented highly the fact that the mayor and four City Council people thought they knew better than what the people had voted for," said Ignacio Padilla.

If this mayor refused to listen to his constituents, then they determined to elect someone who would. Local churches started circulating a petition that would schedule a recall vote on Mayor Cook and two other council members.

Pastor Tom Brown headed up the movement with El Pasoans for Traditional Family Values, and together, they collected enough signatures to hold a special election. "When we got the ordinance on the ballot, it was a moral issue," said Robert Strong. "The second time around, it morphed into an issue of democracy. Citizens' votes were being disregarded, denied. We got about twice as many signatures on the recall petition."

Cook sued, arguing Pastor Brown's involvement was a violation of Texas election law, which bars nonprofits--including churches--to intervene in the political process. Still, County Judge Javier Alvarez refused to stop the election, because he believed it would "thwart the will of the people."So Cook sued again.

That's when the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) stepped in, and the drama really escalated. Desperate for revenge, the mayor brought personal charges against Pastor Brown, racking up a quarter million dollars in legal fees. But what he did next stunned people across America: he and the district attorney launched a grand jury investigation of every citizen involved in the petition drive. If he's successful, anyone who engaged in El Paso's political process would be prosecuted and indicted.

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