Permit No Longer Required for Handing out Literature

WILDWOOD — Eric Wollod will no longer need a permit to share his faith on the city’s boardwalk.
Wildwood has agreed to change an ordinance that required individuals to get a permit when distributing literature in public places. The change comes after the city settled a law-suit in U.S. District Court with Wollod, a professing Christian, who says he was stopped from handing out religious pamphlets on the boardwalk in 2008.
Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal rights advocacy group, filed a federal lawsuit against the city in January. The ADF said the city will now allow citizens to distribute religious literature on public sidewalks, in parks, and in all other public forums without obtaining a permit.
In the summer of 2008 Wollod distributed religious literature on the boardwalk. A police officer approached and said he could not continue his activities without a permit, Wollod complied with the officer’s request and left the area.
Wollod said that he placed a call to the city and was told that a city ordinance limited literature distribution to only five areas of Wildwood’s boardwalk. The official also noted that in order to use the boardwalk, Wollod would be required to first submit a detailed letter to the city in order to obtain the permit.
Wollod said that the city’s ordinance violated his freedom of speech and sued.
“Christians shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs,” said ADF Legal Counsel Dale Schowengerdt. “ADF commends the city for its quick attention to resolve the matter and for their willingness to ensure that the First Amendment rights of Christians will be honored in Wildwood going forward.