FFRF took action to ensure that the Paso Robles Post Office would no longer be host to religious proselytizers on official state ground. A concerned patron contacted FFRF to report that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been setting up their pamphlet stand outside the entrance to the post office nearly every day and had been proselytizing patrons. The complainant reported that their presence made visits to the post office very uncomfortable. “Giving a religious organization special permission to set up a stand and distribute literature on post office grounds violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line wrote to Postmaster Shelly Larsen. Promptly after FFRF brought attention to the issue, Larsen sent back an email notifying the state/church watchdog about a change in practice. “This will cease and desist as of today. This was grandfathered in as past practice from previous Postmasters,” Larsen wrote.
March 12, 2024
