Chicago Park District v. Lyons

Reverend Vernon Lyons of the Ashburn Baptist Church of Chicago was found guilty by a jury of violating section 17 — 11 (littering), chapter 17, of the Chicago Park District Code and fined $25. He appeals directly to this court alleging the ordinance to be violative of the first and fourteenth amendments to the United States constitution and sections 2 and 4 of article II of the constitution of Illinois.

Defendant admits that he, four of his own children, and two other members of his church, under his direction, were distributing small paper pamphlets containing the biblical book "The Acts of…