Preacher Handcuffed, Detained, and Banned From Public Bus Terminal for Sharing His Faith: ACLJ Demands Retraction

For nearly two years, Howard Camp has ministered at an outdoor Houston bus terminal. His ministry is simple: preach, pray with people, hand out bottled water and food, offer encouragement, and share the hope of Christ with anyone who wants to hear it. No fees. No obstruction. No disruption. Just ministry.

But on September 19, that ministry was abruptly shut down.

After several hours of preaching – using a small amplifier so people could actually hear him above the noise of buses – Houston METRO police approached and ordered him to get a “permit.” When he questioned why he needed government permission to share his faith in a public space, the officers declared the bus terminal “private property.” Moments later, they handcuffed him, detained him, and issued a criminal trespass warning. They told him that if he ever came back to preach the Gospel again, he would be arrested. They never cited a single rule he violated. They never gave him a written citation. And to this day, the trespass warning remains in effect.

The ACLJ is standing with Mr. Camp. Today, we sent a formal demand letter to Houston METRO’s leadership, insisting that it immediately retract the unconstitutional trespass warning and restore Mr. Camp’s First Amendment rights.

Take action with us to protect Mr. Camp. Add your name to the petition: Defeat the War Against Christians.

Why This Is Unconstitutional

The Constitution does not vanish because someone steps onto government-owned transit property. Public sidewalks, streets, and outdoor terminals are places where Americans have always been free to speak, hand out literature, and share their faith. Religious speech lies at the very heart of what the First Amendment protects.

Houston METRO’s claim that its outdoor terminal is “private property” is simply wrong. And the idea that Christians must seek a government permit before preaching the Gospel in public is completely contrary to the First Amendment.

Even if METRO wanted to regulate sound amplification, it must do so through clear, content-neutral rules – not by allowing officers to silence disfavored speech whenever they please. METRO has no such rule for outdoor areas. This was not policy enforcement. It was censorship.

Why This Matters for All Americans

This case is about far more than one street preacher. It’s about whether the government gets to decide when, where, and whether you’re allowed to speak.

If it can ban Howard Camp from a public bus terminal because it doesn’t like what he’s saying, then any citizen – Christian or not – can be silenced the moment their message becomes inconvenient. That is not how the First Amendment works. A free society works best when there is the opportunity to exchange and debate different ideas. That’s exactly why the Founding Fathers protected it. They knew free speech means nothing if the government can shut down only the speech it dislikes.

Right now, Mr. Camp is effectively silenced. He cannot return to the place where he has ministered for years because Houston METRO has placed a legal threat over his head. That is unacceptable, unlawful, and must be corrected immediately. We’ve demanded that Houston METRO retract this trespass warning at once and affirm Mr. Camp’s right to share his faith in public. And we will not stop fighting until his rights are fully restored.

Stay tuned for updates. The ACLJ will continue standing up for religious liberty – because if one preacher can be silenced in America, then all of us are at risk.

Take action with us as we defend Mr. Camp. Add your name to the petition: Defeat the War Against Christians.