Are Raleigh Police violating evangelists' rights? | UNC does 180 on investigating satire | Charges dropped: Knifeman was acting in self defense | Pittsboro brothel arrest
No. 172 — Apr. 12-Apr. 18, 2026
The Raleigh Police are being accused of violating the free speech rights of street preachers at public events.
ICYMI: a transgender-identifying woman has ben sentenced to prison for threatening the VA a mass shooting in Raleigh over government-provided testosterone.
Pittsboro Police have made an arrest in the “massage parlor” brothel investigation (you’ll never guess the race of the suspect).
Charges have been dropped against the man accused of stabbing four victims in Raleigh, after video shows he was acting in self-defense.
UNC-Chapel Hill has reversed course on investigating a student organization for making offensive satire after a free speech watchdog got involved.
Raleigh Police accused of violating rights of evangelist
Raleigh Police Department Improperly Restricts Religious Speech in Public - Press Release
Christian legal ministry Liberty Counsel has sent a demand letter to the Raleigh Police Department on behalf of a local evangelist, alleging that the RPD has violated his constitutional rights at a number of public events by hindering the sharing of the gospel through street preaching and distributing tracts.
According to the letter, Tommy Waltz and his Gospel of God Ministries have been told to leave public areas, stop using amplification, or stop distributing tracts at events including Brewgaloo in 2023, Packapalooza in 2025, the State Fair in 2025, and the Bluegrass Festival in 2025.
Although courts have ruled that the government may place some restrictions on traditional public forums, such as sidewalks, the letter argues that the RPD’s actions were not “narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest” such as “eliminating excessive noise or promoting public safety,” as the incidents involved the evangelists following sound ordinances while ensuring they were a sufficient distance from the events to not be a disturbance.
In conclusion, the letter asks the RPD to confirm in writing that the evangelists will not be asked to leave or refrain from using amplification at these public events in the future.
ICYMI: Homeless mentally ill transgender woman sentenced for threatening VA with mass shooting over Trump’s “gender affirming care” ban
Ashley “Elijah” Moore has been sentenced to 13 months in prison for sending a threatening email to the Department of Veterans Affairs in August 2025 which promised a “bloodbath in Raleigh” after finding difficulty in “get [her] next testosterone injection” from the government agency.
More details:
Follow-ups
Arrest made in Pittsboro brothel investigation
Arrest Made in Blue Jade Spa Investigation - Press Release
If you intuited that the “Blue Jade Spa” being investigated by the Pittsboro Police for sex trafficking was likely run by an Asian, based on the pattern of previous “massage parlor” brothel investigations, you would be correct.
Chao Li, 37, a resident of Garner, was taken into custody in Johnston County on charges¹ ² of promoting prostitution, aiding and abetting prostitution, unlicensed practice of massage/bodywork, advertising without a license, and operating and unlicensed establishment.
Li was released on a secured bond of $3,000 and an unsecured bond of $5,000; court documents indicate he is either a citizen or a legal resident of the United States.
Although previous arrests of similar illegal enterprises in the Triangle have resulted in the arrests of individuals sharing the same last name, Quan Chun Li and Jin Hua Li, my basic research did not turn up any evidence of a connection there: Li is an extremely common surname in China, making up over 7% of the country’s population.
Previous Coverage:
Pittsboro police investigate sex trafficking at massage parlor (No. 171 — Apr. 11, 2026)
- 北卡州 No.1華人房地產公司 - (translation: North Carolina’s #1 Chinese Real Estate Company)
I did however stumble across a fun aside, the fact that Chao Li’s wife appears to work for a real estate company based out of Apex which appears to be primarily staffed with Asians, and advertises the sale of local homes in the Chinese language.
Property records in Wake, Durham, and Orange show that out of 22 properties referenced in these five Chinese language posts (which are the most recent on the HHomes Realty LLC Facebook page), 16 of the homes currently belong to owners with Asian/Chinese names.
Video shows Raleigh stabber was acting in self defense, charges dropped
Wake DA’s office drops charges against man accused in downtown Raleigh stabbings - N&O
Charges dropped against man accused of stabbing 6 in downtown Raleigh - WRAL
Charges dropped against man in downtown Raleigh stabbings - ABC11
Downtown Raleigh stabbing charges dropped against man accused of injuring five - CBS17
The charges against a knifeman who seriously injured four others in an incident on April 10 have been dropped after prosecutors reviewed video showing that his use of force was justified in self-defense.
According to the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, the new evidence indicated that Frank Lalich had actually been “sucker punched” and was being kicked while on the ground when he used a knife in self defense.
It is unclear whether any of the approximately twenty other individuals described by witnesses as being involved in the incident will be facing charges.
Previous Coverage:
Six stabbed in late-night Raleigh brawl (No. 171 — Apr. 11, 2026)
UNC “retracts” investigation of student organization for offensive satire
In free speech win, UNC retracts statement announcing investigation into student satire - College Fix
It’s official: making skits in mockery of racism is once again allowed on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, even if students or alumni go viral for being offended at a (perhaps deliberate) misinterpretation.
After receiving a letter from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression raising concern about the unconstitutional “chilling” effect of the university’s response to April Fool’s Day satire, which many found offensive, the university reversed course: “For the record, the University is not investigating any student or student group for the articles that appeared in the April 1, 2026 edition of The Daily Tar Heel or for the recent Hill After Hours video.”
“Our April 6, 2026 statement was issued out of concern for members of our community, many of whom were clearly distressed,” the update continued. “That statement was in no way intended to chill free speech on our campus, and we retract those portions of our message that may have suggested our students and student groups were engaged in unlawful conduct or conduct that could subject them to discipline.”
Although it may be framed as a clarification, it appears that this new statement in response to the first amendment concerns is a 180-degree turn from the original statement, which did claim an ongoing investigation into “a video that was produced by a registered student organization:”
“Student Affairs is investigating this incident to determine more information about how and by whom the video was authorized and produced as well as next steps needed to address concerns.”
Previous Coverage:
April Fool’s Day satire gets “cancelled” at UNC (No. 170 — Apr. 4, 2026)
UNC student org. under investigation for mocking racism (No. 171 — Apr. 11, 2026)