UNCG settles suit filed by evangelist
10-31-02
By MIKE FUCHS, Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO -- Jim Gilles never got to finish his FIRE-and-brimstone speech
last year from a UNCG sidewalk.
A campus police officer sent him packing, telling the controversial Indiana
evangelist he was engaging in disorderly conduct.
Now it's the university whose conduct is in question. Earlier this month the
school paid Gilles $10,000 to settle a lawsuit by Gilles, who claimed his right
to free speech was violated.
"It cost them $10,000 to kick me off campus," said Gilles, who by his
estimation has preached at 322 campuses across the country since 1982.
Gilles said he carries a tape recorder everywhere he goes in case he runs
into legal trouble.
"Next time they do it, they'll be liable for more damages," Gilles said.
Nate Kellum, his lawyer, said Gilles is entitled to express his opinion like
anyone else, although he acknowledges some find his views offensive.
"This is not to say Mr. Gilles would have a right to go into classrooms or
buildings or auditoriums, but when you're talking about a public sidewalk or a
public mall area, where everyone is free to come and go as they please, and
everyone is there to speak their mind, Mr. Gilles enjoys that same right."
UNCG declined to comment, referring questions to the state attorney general's
office, spokesman Steve Gilliam said Wednesday.
Although it paid Gilles $10,000, UNCG has done nothing wrong, state attorney
general spokesman John Bason said.
"In order to avoid the expense of going to trial, an offer to settle the case
was made," Bason said. "The university acknowledges no wrongdoing."
In its written response to the suit, the attorney general's office said
Gilles is not prohibited from appearing or preaching on campus grounds.
John Boddie, president of the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil
Liberties Union, said merely being offensive is not enough for the government to
restrict your speech.
"On the other hand, if you're disrupting the campus, then of course the
campus has a right to prohibit disruption," Boddie said. "I guess the question
is whether this guy was using the cloak of freedom of speech to make himself a
nuisance and disturb people's studying."
Students said they found Gilles' remarks highly offensive, which they argue
should be enough to prevent him from returning.
"I think there's a line and he kind of crossed it," said Kim Hedrick, 19, a
sophomore, who heard Gilles' speech. "A lot of people were offended. It just
kind of shocked us."
Bethany Sessoms, 19, a sophomore, said Gilles unfairly portrayed campus
sorority members as promiscuous. "It kind of hurt my feelings," Sessoms said.
"He can preach the Gospel, but to criticize people, that's not right," said
Holly Preddy, 20, a junior.
Gilles, a married father of three children, makes no apologies.
"I provoke the students to think and ask questions," said Gilles, who said he
turned to the Gospel during a Van Halen rock concert in 1980. "I get on hot
topics such as drugs, sex, booze, rock-and-roll, homosexuality, feminism. I
encourage them to ask me questions. It's a dialogue."
Contact Mike Fuchs at 373-7077 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
