Follow Up To The Riot At Carey's Assumption Procession, Hard And Bitter Feelings Remain About The Events Of Assumption Eve, August 14.

It has now been 10 days since the riot at the Assumption Eve Procession at the Our Lady of Consolation Shrine in Carey, Ohio where a group of Evangelicals, now identified as members of the Street Preachers Fellowship, became involved with Catholics participating in the procession.  I made some follow up calls and discovered that there are still hard feelings about what happened there.

The Street Preacher Fellowship has picketed at previous Assumption processions.  The Street Preachers Fellowship filmed the event as they did in previous years, some think to provoke violence.  The Street Preachers Fellowship website states that aside from a $100 yearly membership fee, membership in the Street Preacher Fellowship requires attending monthly demonstrations or preaching events along with keeping abreast of training exercises.

The trouble all began the evening of August 14, 2005 when the Catholic pilgrims, made up of many groups but containing a large group of Chaldean Christians (predominately Arab Christians from Iraq,) processed their way through the streets of Carey.  Waiting on the street corners, in accordance with the law says Police Chief Dennis Yingling, were members of the Street Preachers Fellowship.

The story then changes wildly according to whose account you believe.  According to Carey Police Chief Yingling, a full-blown riot ensued.  He said, there were about 20 officers from the Carey Police Department, Wyandot County Sheriff's office and members of the Ohio Highway Patrol present for security, and they were overwhelmed.

Chief Yingling said, "the fault of what happened lies 100% with the Chaldeans or should I say the Chaldean young people.  The adults could not control them.  Those young people don't come down here from Detroit for religious purposes.  They blast their car stereos around town, even when they drive by the Shrine.   You may not like the street preachers but they have a right to peacefully assemble on street corners and pass out literature.  That's all they did."

"That is absolutely untrue," said Brother Jeffrey Hinez of the Our Lady of Consolation Basilica.  "First of all with my own eyes I watched the Street Preachers Fellowship interfere with the procession.  They got off the street corner and marched along side the procession saying vile things. With my own ears, I heard a member of the Street Preacher Fellowship call the Virgin Mary a 'whore'!" He pointed at me and told me I was going to hell because I was leading so many people to hell.  They intimidated the Chaldeans and then tried to goad them into a fight." 

So are you saying Brother Hinez that the Chaldeans can't catch a break?  They escape Saddam Hussein in Iraq, their relatives they left behind in Iraq are terrorized by Al Qaeda, and now they get verbally abused in a religious procession.  "That's exactly what I am saying," said Brother Hinez.   "You have to understand what these Chaldean people have been through.  Can you imagine escaping Saddam Hussein's tyranny and knowing you have relatives back home fighting for their lives against Al Qaeda?  On top of this you go to a religious procession and some people in our great land, calls a very special person in your faith a whore.  Haven't these Chaldean people been through enough?  These Chaldean people have been celebrating this feast of the Assumption since the early Christian age; their ancestors could have interacted with the Apostles and Our Lady. Yet, some group calls her a whore.  How would they like it if someone called their mother a whore."

"I love the Chaldean people.  They are a role model for our faith.  They have been persecuted by Saddam Hussein and now their relatives in Iraq are persecuted by Al Qaeda," said Father John Raphael Hadnagy, Pastor of the Our Lady of Consolation Basilica.  "The Chaldeans take the time to drive the three hour trip for this important holy day.  This is also a time of family reunions as they camp out and renew acquaintances.  What in the world is the police chief thinking by saying the young people are causing trouble?  I am not saying they aren't enjoying some social aspects of meeting friends and having some fun but they are very respectful from what I have seen and very reverent in association with the Shrine and religious observances." 

Father Hadnagy according to Chief Yingling, it was the Chaldeans who started the trouble.  "Was he even there?   I find it incredible that a police chief doesn't understand that when a band of people, who admit they want trouble, start trouble that they're not to blame," said Father Hadnagy.   Again Father Hadnagy, according to Chief Yingling the Street Preacher Fellowship stayed on the street corner and never said anything threatening.  "He said the street preachers stayed on the street corner and never said anything threatening.  Unbelievable, I don't know what else to say," said Father Hadnagy.

"I have told and will continue to tell our parishioners, and anyone else, that they need to pray for the hearts of these Street Preacher Fellowship people.  We need to pray that they are converted from their misguided ways.  We have a great relationship with the city and other denominations and now this group is trying to ruin that.  When Brother Jeffrey told me that someone in the Street Preacher Fellowship called, "Our Lady" the Virgin Mary, a 'whore' and told Brother Jeffrey he was going to hell, for leading so many people to hell, I just shook.  How can anyone be that mean?" said Father Hadnagy.

"Those people were not Christian who were preaching against Mary.  They were evil people masquerading as Christians. I was not there but when I heard  the names they called her, blasphemous they are.  Then that police chief, he is crazy if he told you that our young people were causing trouble and partying instead of taking part in our religious celebrations.  You mean to tell me that these young people would drive three hours to that small town to party.   They can do that here in the Detroit area," said Father Emanuel Shalata pastor of St Joseph Church in Troy, Michigan.

Here's my interview with Carey Police Chief Dennis Yingling who put further light on the events.

Dave Hartline    Chief Yingling how would describe the events of Sunday, August 14 in relation to the Assumption Procession.

Chief Yingling   It was a full-blown riot.  Mr Hartline picture in your head what you think happened and magnify it 10x that is how bad it was.

Dave Hartline    Was it one of the worst things you have seen as police chief?

Chief Yingling    One of the worst?  Take numbers two through 10 and it wouldn't beat number 1.  It was awful: I didn't know what was going to happen.

Dave Hartline    Who do you think is to blame?

Chief Yingling     I know who is to blame.  It's 100% the Chaldeans fault.  Wait a minute, I should say it's 100% the fault of the Chaldean young people.  The older people had no control of them.  Those young people come down here from Detroit and religion is the last thing on their mind.  They drive around town and blast their car stereos, even when they ride by the Shrine.

Dave Hartline   I understand there were arrests made and some injuries.  How many street preachers and how many in the procession were injured. 

Chief Yingling   I don't think there were any street preachers struck or injured.  I had some officers struck though.

Dave Hartline   Someone struck an officer?  How many are being charged with that?  Was it someone from the procession?

Chief Yingling   We didn't charge any of the Chaldeans with striking an officer because when an officer would get knocked down and there's 20 of them staring at him, what's he to do?  We only had about 20 total law enforcement personnel there.  That means officers from Carey police department, the sheriff's department along with members from the Ohio Highway Patrol. We should have had 60 to handle what we had to deal with that incident.

Dave Hartline     Some would say that the Street Preachers Fellowship Ministry were the trouble makers for coming down to Carey to agitate at a religious gathering.  Some would say that they were the ones who really started the problems.

Chief Yingling    Did you really put in your article of last week that Catholics felt threatened by these Street Preachers?

Dave Hartline     Chief, that is what I was told on Monday, the day after the violence, not just by the Chaldeans but also by people of all backgrounds, including little old ladies.  I got to tell you Chief when a little old lady, who said she's from this area, grabbed my arm and said, "if you have a website you have got to write about this.  What these street preachers did was terrible.  They attacked us."  That makes an impression on you chief.  The Catholics in the procession said they felt threatened because the Street Preacher Fellowship members were being loud and were telling them that they were going to hell if they didn't turn away from Catholicism.  They also said that the Street Preachers Fellowship members were on the street, not the street corner, harassing them and holding up signs stating that they were going to hell. 

Chief Yingling    Well then those people are all lying to you.   That never happened.  The Street Preacher Fellowship has every right to assemble on the street corner and say what they want as long as they aren't violent.  Those Street Preachers never left the street corner, believe me they know the law.  They have court decisions and they know the dos and don'ts of what you can do.  It's on their website.  Anyway, just ignore them if they tell you that you are going to hell.   This is the same group that hands out literature at the Ohio State football games.   Have you ever been to Ohio Stadium and taken their literature.

Dave Hartline   Chief I go to Ohio State football games every year and I probably have seen religious groups handing out literature.  However,  I would certainly remember if someone got into my face and told me I was going to hell.

Chief Yingling    You have a point. I imagine if the Street Preachers held up the start of kickoff we might have a repeat of what happened here but they are well within their rights to preach on the corner.

Dave Hartline    How do you prevent something like this from happening again?

Chief Yingling    We tried to prevent this by having meetings in April with town officials and the priests over at Our Lady Of Consolation.  However, the only thing to do is have more outside law enforcement officials here next year.

Dave Hartline    I hope this is the end of trouble for you Chief.  I love small towns, having grown up in one and having lived in others since.  You know there's something special in places like Carey.  I use to come here often and I still love to visit your town and Shrine.  Again, thank you for your time.

Chief Yingling    Well, thank you, I hope this is the end of trouble too.  However, we will plan for next year as if there will be trouble.

Again a tale of two accounts.  However, one thing that is believed by both Chief Yingling and those involved in the procession, they wish next year all is peaceful.  Father John Raphael Hadnagy summed up his thoughts by saying, "I hope we can put all of this behind us.  I love having a religious conversation with people of other faiths. It is good to discuss doctrinal differences in a respectful way.  However, what would  possess someone to say such hurtful things about something another group holds dear.  You know we don't go to Evangelical events and say hurtful things to them even if we don't agree with them.  You know it is not in our hearts to do such things.  I think the best thing we can do about what happened is to pray for the conversion of hearts that would utter such vile and mean things."  

Note:  This reply from the Street Preachers Fellowship was received at 1am and was posted as soon as it was received

David Hartline

Street Preachers Fellowship Respond

Mr. Hartline,

The preachers involved in the Carey incident never had time to say anything to anyone.  They were viciously attacked before they could get 10 seconds of quoting the Bible out of their mouth.  We do believe that Catholicism is contrary to the Holy Bible, and preach that Catholics just like Muslims, Baptists, Methodists, Mormons, or any other religion need to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ alone for salvation, or they all will go to hell!

The virgin Mary was not a whore!  No one from the SPF has ever claimed such.  We do preach that the Mary of the Catholic church is not the one of the gospels, and as Rome attributes to her as being the "queen of heaven", such is condemned in Jeremiah 44!

Ron McRae

Director

Street Preachers' Fellowship