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I'm so glad to be home safe and grateful our trip helped in the fight for human rights. I know many of you were standing with me. Thank you for praying for me. Thank you for encouraging me. And, thank you for believing in the power of God to remind 4 billion people worldwide of the persecuted people in China.

One of the most influential papers in the world will feature a front page article on our prayerful witness in China. It will be in Saturday's, August 16th, edition of the Washington Post. The article was written by Jill Drew who is a highly credible reporter with a tremendous amount of journalistic integrity.

You will read in the article that another group experienced some of the same things we did. Unfortunately they were forced to pay for their deportation airline tickets and the female was separated from the group. As many of you saw, in the media coverage, we worked hard not to be separated by locking arms and we repeatedly told the Chinese officials "We will not be separated". I was constantly being pulled and at one point the communist authorities yelled at me to get into a police car by myself but I refused. I purposefully didn't take my wallet knowing it would probably be confiscated by the Chinese government. Both Pat and Mike had their bank cards but again we all stood together and said " You cannot take our cards and force us to pay. We will not pay. We did nothing wrong. Praying and freedom of expression is not a crime" Thankfully the officials were never able to separate us and in the end they were not successful in trying to make us pay for the deportation.

I thank God for protecting us and I know the prayers of many helped us remain strong. I'm reminded of the scripture verse, that says "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

Read The Article Here:

Washington Post China's Choreographed Detentions
Washington Post, United States - 2 hours ago
14 -- As he sat munching Kentucky Fried Chicken with his captors at a Beijing police station last week, the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney couldn't help thinking ... Click here to read the article.

Many of you have asked some great questions about our trip to China and have expressed an interest in knowing more. I was able to go into detail about our message of human rights and discuss our experience during a radio interview on the Jon and Kris Show. I really encourage you to listen. Click here and scroll down to the “Must Hear and See” section!

Here are just a few of the topics we cover during the show:
Why we laid roses, displayed a banner and prayed in China.

Why laying roses in Tiananmen Square for the victims of the 1989 massacre is not a publicity stunt...does this really need to be explained? This explanation goes out to a handful of people in Idaho that have tried to discredit me because they don't agree with me on other issues. Thankfully most people and organizations nationally and internationally understand the importance of putting differences aside for the greater good...fighting for human rights in communist China.

We discuss the underground group we raised money for and the American missionary we met with and gave financial aid to (we couldn't discuss this while we were in China because it would put them at great risk)

How reaching 4 billion people with the human rights message is making a difference.

How we've been thanked by Human Rights Watch, Tibetan and Falun Gong groups, and political dissidents.

What we've heard from persecuted Christians in China and the underground House Church.

The fact that China has more Christians in jail than any other country and the Chinese government has executed more Christians than all other countries combined.

What China aid organizations you can support.

In Response to our deportation the US State Department released this statement "We call on China to use the opportunity of the Olympics to demonstrate greater openness and tolerance and to respect the fundamental and universally recognized right of all people to peacefully express their views."

Brandi was interviewed on Laura Ingraham’s show during her stay in China, and that audio is now available online here! We encourage you to listen to it.
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The Associated Press also did a follow up story that was published in USA Today.

Protesters describe removal from Tiananmen Square
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Three Americans kicked out of China after protesting in Tiananmen Square said they were treated well by the Chinese government, other than being dragged away, detained for 10 hours and threatened with a lengthy jail stay.
"They bought us Kentucky Fried Chicken and filmed us eating it," the Rev. Patrick Mahoney told The Associated Press after arriving at the Los Angeles International Airport.
Mahoney was accompanied by Brandi Swindell and Mike McMonagle on the flight from Beijing, where they protested human rights abuses before the start of the Olympics.
The three were greeted by supporters after getting off an Air China flight in Los Angeles, ending a long day that began when they were dragged away from a crowded square and detained without access to their cell phones. The travelers were carrying only plastic bags filled with clothes - the rest of their luggage was still in China, they said.
"Right on!" Mahoney said as he raised his fist in the air. "We call for the end of the religious persecution."
The three arrived in China earlier this week and went to Tiananmen Square, where they unfurled a banner that said "Jesus Christ is king," and laid roses on the ground to honor those killed there in the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.
Mahoney said uniformed Chinese officers confiscated the banner and escorted them out of the square.
"I asked, 'Are we under arrest?"' Mahoney said. "They said, 'No.' I asked, 'Can we leave?' They said, 'No."'
During a one-hour interrogation, the activists said, they told Chinese officials they intended to return to the square to hold a news conference. When they came back to the square, now filled with journalists and cameramen, they said they were grabbed by security agents and dragged into a van and brought to a police station. While being held for about 10 hours, they said officials disabled their cell phones, revoked their travel visas, demanded that they sign papers and pay $2,000 each for a ticket out of China.
"We didn't do anything wrong. We were speaking up for the Chinese people. We refused to pay," said Mahoney, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian Defense Coalition.
Finally, Chinese officials agreed to pay for the tickets and told the trio they had to leave China immediately or else they'd face extended jail time, Mahoney said.
His wife, Katie, said in a telephone interview from the couple's home in Virginia she was worried about her husband's safety when she wasn't able to reach him.
"It was very disconcerting" she said. "Let's face it, China doesn't have a very good record on human rights. ... It's very troubling when you don't hear from someone in 24 hours."
Mahoney, Swindell and McMonagle were scheduled to return to their respective homes in Fredericksburg, Va., Boise, Idaho, and Philadelphia on Friday.
They said they wanted to raise China's abortion policy and human rights record as the world focuses on the Olympics, but had no intention of spoiling the games.
"We're not opposed to the Olympics or the athletes," Swindell, 31, said.
Also Thursday, two Americans who arrived in San Francisco said they were deported from China after for climbing two poles near the Olympic stadium in Beijing and hung pro-Tibetan slogans.
Phillip Bartell of Boulder, Colo., and Tirian Mink of Portland, Ore., told KTVU-TV they were arrested and questioned for about eight hours.
U.S. State Department officials said Chinese authorities informed them of the deportations and were aware of what happened to the protesters.
"We call on China to use the opportunity of the Olympics to demonstrate greater openness and tolerance and to respect the fundamental and universally recognized right of all people to peacefully express their views," department spokesman Gordon Duguid said.
----
Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C. contributed to this story.
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As the Summer Olympics in China are about to begin I wanted to send you some information. Please take a moment to read these articles. I encourage everyone to consider not watching or participating in the opening ceremonies which are designed to honor the host country. The human rights violations in China are severe and do not embrace the true spirit of the Olympic Games.
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Congress Approves Resolution Asking China to Stop Forced Abortion Campaign
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Just one week before the Summer Olympics kick off in Beijing, the House of Representatives approved legislation calling on the Chinese government stop its brutal campaign of forced abortions. They accompany the coercive one-child family planning policy that has earned the nation worldwide scorn. The House approved the resolution on a 419 to 1 vote. The Congressional-approved measure asks China to “end abuses of human rights of its citizens” in order to ensure that the Olympic games take place “in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness.” Rep. Chris Smith, the leading co-sponsor of the resolution, said China has more human rights abuses than can be adequately tracked. In his speech on the floor of the House during the debate on the resolution, Smith focused on two amendments he successfully attached to the bill during the House Foreign Affairs Committee markup last week. One amendment calls on the Chinese governm ent to abandon its coercive population control policy that includes forced abortion. “China’s coercive population control program has imposed unspeakable violence, pain and humiliation on hundreds of millions of Chinese women, many of whom suffer lifelong depression as a consequence," he said, in a statement provided to LifeNews.com. "Massively violated by the state, it is no wonder more women commit suicide in China than anywhere else in the world. Read the Full story at Life News.

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With Summer Olympics at Hand, China Must Back Down on Forced Abortions
by Rep. Mike Pence
It is important that we speak truth to power. And with the 2008 Olympics in Beijing about to begin, it is important that the people of the United States be heard on our ideals as athletes from around the world and global media descend on China. It is important that we say as the late Tom Lantos, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a hearing last year, a few months before his death: ‘China is a police state.’ I personally believe that the selection of China as the site of the 2008 Olympic Games was a historic error. The Olympics is a symbol of the human spirit and in that regard, a symbol of human freedom, and this police state therefore is precisely the wrong venue for a celebration of human dignity and the human spirit. And so I commend my colleagues’ support for H. Res. 1370. I am particularly grateful for the call on the government of the People’s Republic of China to end the abuses of human rights, to release those imprisoned for political and religious expression, and also challenging China to honor its commitment to freedom of the press of foreign reporters. While there is much talk in the media today about the cloud of smog hanging over Beijing as these Games approach, let me say from my heart: the real cloud over the Beijing Olympics is the horror of forced abortion. Read the Full story at Life News.
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Brandi's support staff just heard from her and she has returned to the US safely!
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The Associated Press has reported on their safe arrival here.

3 anti-China protesters deported to LA

Associated Press - August 7, 2008 11:34 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Three Americans who were deported from China for protesting before the start of the Olympics have arrived at Los Angeles International Airport.

Patrick Mahoney, Brandi Swindell and Mike McMonagle were greeted by supporters after getting off an Air China flight from Beijing on Thursday night.

The three say they were grabbed by Chinese security agents as they prepared to hold a protest Thursday in Tiananmen Square to denounce China's abortion policy and lack of religious freedom. They say they were detained for hours, had their cell phones disabled and were not allowed to make any calls. Authorities later escorted them to the airport.
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We'll send further updates as we have them. In the meantime, thank you for all your prayers and support!

Americans Held by Beijing Authorities Since Second Arrests -- Not Heard From

BEIJING, Aug. 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- On August 7, at approximately 11 AM Beijing time, three American Christians were arrested in Tiananmen Square as they attempted to speak to the press. The three arrested are Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Washington DC based Christian Defense Coalition; Brandi Swindell of Boise Idaho, National Director of Generation Life; and Michael McMonagle, of Philadelphia, national Catholic pro-life activist and founder of Generation Life.
These three Americans were removed and detained for over an hour on August 6 after holding a banner in Tiananmen Square and speaking out against China's religious persecution, policy of forced abortion, and civil rights abuses.

Support staff in the US spoke with Patrick Mahoney and Brandi Swindell via cell phone as they were being arrested for the second time at Tiananmen Square. There have been no communications between US support staff and support staff and protestors in Beijing since the second arrests.

Spouse of Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Katie Mahoney from Virginia said, "Since their 11 AM (Beijing time) arrests on August 7 we have been unable to contact any of the group, including my husband, or support persons for over 14 hours now; this is a bit disconcerting that no one can reach them. We assume their phones have been confiscated and all are being held until their scheduled departure from Beijing at 3 PM local time, August 8, but until we hear from them we are concerned for their safety. The group knows no one in China so there is no one we can contact there, and given the history of the Chinese government's suppression of free speech and their civil rights abuses, we ask for everyone's prayers for their safe return.

"Even more so, we pray that this oppressive government will perhaps recognize through this incident that their own citizens deserve to have the basic human rights of free speech, freedom to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience, as well as the protection of the weakest members of society -- their precious unborn children. That is the message that my husband and the others were simply trying to send. They are not criminals. I say, China, the eyes of the world are upon you; if you want the respect and acceptance of other nations at this critical time during the Olympics, afford your own wonderful people the human rights they have been yearning for."

The American protestors are scheduled to depart Beijing's Capitol Airport (PEK) on Friday, August 8 at 3:45 PM on Continental Airlines flight 88 and arrive in Newark, New Jersey at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) at gate C121, terminal C, at 5:30 PM Eastern time, also on Friday, August 8.

Video Footage:
CNN Footage of Arrests
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Here is a sampling of some of the National and International Media coverage of my time in China speaking out for those who have no voice.

Beijing sees protests over Tibet and abortion – International Herald Tribune/New York Times

St. Louis Post Dispatch

Video: Boise activist Swindell detained in China- Idaho Press Tribune

Activist Brandi Swindell briefly detained in China

Boise Christian activist Brandi Swindell detained after protest in China - Idaho Statesman

Thank you for your prayers and support.

You may have seen the piece by Dan Popkey in today's Idaho Statesman. It's completely off base – even laughable.

Here’s a brief response written by Bryan Fischer.

Dan Popkey predictably directed a hit piece at Brandi Swindell and me in today's Idaho Statesman for our defense of the Ten Commandments monument in Julia Davis Park.

Popkey says Ms. Swindell and I "couldn't have been happier" when we were informed that we had liens placed on our personal and real property and that the city was threatening us with foreclosure, which indicates only that Popkey has a strange definition of happiness.

Further, he accuses us of "exploit(ing)" this situation for our own purposes, oblivious to the fact that he himself "exploited" it by using it as the basis for an entire column.

Along the way, he distorted the facts even from the Tuesday press conference he himself attended. He flags me for asking Ms. Swindell to hold up until a cameraman had gotten himself into position, as if I was carefully orchestrating this as a photo op. The truth is that the cameramen had asked us to wait, and I was just being polite. Apparently common courtesy is a political crime in Popkey's lexicon.

On the other hand, however, Kevin Richert gave space to the comments of local political observer Adam Graham:

"Yes, a federal court gave the city the right to collect the money. But just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something. Adam Park of the city of Boise insisted that to waive fees was to put Fischer and Swindell above the law.
Yet, a quick Google search of the City's Web site reveals more than 900 hits for the word 'waiver' and more than 80 for 'waive fees.' In March 2006, the city waived a combined $14,000 in fees for a soccer tournament and a Lewis and Clark Expo. No one suggested that violated the rule of law.
"Fischer and Swindell are asking for the city to waive the fee, and just because they are Christians, that doesn't mean they have less rights than a soccer tournament. Even St. Paul appealed to Caesar."

Source: Idaho Values Alliance

Bryan Fischer and I just paid our legal fee (in full) at Boise City Hall. Thanks to you! In 3 weeks we raised $10,702.55 to pay the total amount due by July 15th. Your prayers, words of encouragement and financial support have been such a blessing. I don't think I've ever seen such an incredible outpouring of support. Thank you for standing with us.

It is not necessary to send in any more donations for our legal fee fund.

Channels 2,6, and 7, The Idaho Statesman and the Nate Shelman Show covered us as Bryan, myself and our attorney submitted our full payment. As I was answering questions a reporter asked me if I regretted getting involved in this battle 4 years ago. I told him "I don't regret a thing." You can't put a price tag on religious freedom. This only strengthens my resolve to continue to fight for the principles that uphold all of humanity. I consider it an honor to stand up for things that matter. Some people have criticized my generation for not caring but this battle over the 10 Commandments shows that this emerging generation is willing to be a voice for human rights, religious freedom and social justice.

Please read the letter we submitted with the payment to the City of Boise here.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

PRESS RELEASE

Brandi Swindell and Bryan Fischer to deliver letter and $10K payment to Boise City Hall Today at 2pm

Contact: Brandi Swindell (208) 867-1307 or Bryan Fischer (208) 841-2546

BOISE – Brandi Swindell and Rev. Bryan Fischer will be hand-delivering a letter and $10,702.55 check to the City of Boise at 2pm on Tuesday, July 15th. Swindell and Fischer had a meeting scheduled with the City Attorney’s office for Monday, July 14th that was unexpectedly cancelled by the Boise City Attorney’s office.

Boise City Hall is located at 150 N. Capital Blvd, Boise. Swindell and Fischer will be available for questions and comments at City Hall following the delivery of the letter and check to the City. The letter from Fischer and Swindell will also be available to the media at this time.

In a letter sent to Swindell and Fischer on June 23, 2008, the City of Boise stated that they each have until July 15, 2008, to pay over $10,000 in legal fees stemming from a court case concerning the removal of the Ten Commandments Monument from Julia Davis Park.

The City of Boise also has placed a lien on the property and assets of Swindell and Fischer.

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and the City Council gave Fischer and Swindell only three weeks to pay $10,000 (and $702.55 interest) or they would proceed against them. Swindell and Fischer each received a certified letter that read, “This is to inform you that we have filed the above referenced judgment with the Ada County Recorders Office which places an automatic lien against all real and personal property under your individual names. This judgment will remain on your credit record until the debt is paid in full.”

Go to www.keepthecommandmentsidaho.com to see the entire letter.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please call Brandi Swindell (208) 867-1307 or Bryan Fischer (208) 841-2546.

-30-

Swindell, Fischer to pay legal fees to city of Boise
- STATESMAN STAFF
Edition Date: 07/15/08

Brandi Swindell and Bryan Fischer said they will hand-deliver a check for $10,702.55 to city officials Tuesday at Boise City Hall to pay for legal fees associated with a court case about the removal of the Ten Commandments monument from Julia Davis Park.

Swindell said the money came primarily from private donations.

In June, Boise city officials sent Swindell and Fischer a letter saying they owed the city more than $10,000 in legal fees the city incurred in the lawsuit.

Fischer and Swindell led the Keep the Commandments Coalition, which fought unsuccessfully to keep the monument in the park. A judge had ordered the group to pay the legal fees.

The city had placed a lien on the property and assets of Swindell and Fischer and gave them a July 15 deadline to contact the city regarding the amount.

Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/boise/story/442494.html

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

Here's a really good blog post by Adam Graham about the current Boise Ten Commandments situation. I encourage you to read his piece at Renew America.

The whole situation was also featured in the World Net Daily article, Cost of Fighting for Ten Commandments: $10,000; City demands its money after citizens speak up to defend monument.

Posted: June 28, 2008
12:30 am Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

A little more than four years ago, Brandi Swindell, Bryan Fischer and a group called Generation Life hoped to stop the city council of Boise, Idaho, from removing a Ten Commandments monument that had stood in a city park since 1965.

The city council accepted no public input into its decision, so Generation Life was compelled to file a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order on the city's action.

Generation Life lost that case, and even though they later took another suit to the Idaho Supreme Court, winning the right to have the citizens of Boise vote on the monument's future, the bill from the first case has come due.

Now, more than four years later, the city of Boise wants Swindell, Fischer, and Generation Life to pay $10,000 in court-awarded legal fees from the first case. Interest is already accruing, and the city has placed liens against Swindell and Fischer's property.

"I'm a fourth generation Idahoan, born and raised in Boise," Swindell told WND, "and this makes me and many people in our state livid. Essentially the city is saying that if you dare speak against us, hold us accountable, get involved in the legal process, we will go after you and punish you. We believe this is an intimidation tactic."

Swindell told WND that after losing the first case, there was a public outcry that the city would demand legal fees at all. Generation Life wasn't suing over some feigned personal injury or seeking a payoff over broken sidewalks; the group was taking the only avenue the city left open to them in the Ten Commandments monument dispute.

After the public's initial outcry the city made no move to collect the money. "It appeared as though the city had waived the fees," said Swindell. Generation Life hadn't heard from the city in more than four years.

But the federal judge in the first case awarded the city $10,000, and now the city is asking for its money, sending a letter earlier this week informing Swindell and Fischer that they have three weeks to make payment arrangements or face further legal action.

Adam Park, a spokesperson for the mayor's office told WND, "We feel we have an obligation to the taxpayers to pursue money owed by any persons. We're simply asking that (Swindell and Fischer) comply with the federal judge's orders."

Bryan Fischer, a former pastor and now executive director of Idaho Values Alliance, said in a press release, "Ms. Swindell and I both work for small non-profit organizations and thus have limited means. The city of Boise, on the other hand, has an annual budget of $479 million, and thus is certainly in a position to waive this judgment. Yet the city's mayor is still determined to come after us for $10,000. This is a sad indication of what this city is prepared to do to its own citizens who do nothing more than exercise their right to freedom of speech and to seek redress for their grievances."

Swindell told WND that news of the collection attempt is bringing support. "We're receiving calls from people saying they'll help us. One man said, 'I have no money, but I will try to raise $1,000.' Our friends and supporters are livid. People are insulted by this. My hope and prayer is that people will stand with us. The city has left us with few options."

As WND earlier reported, Swindell and Fischer co-founded a group called the Keep the Commandments Coalition after Generation Life lost its first suit. The group was able to gather 19,000 signatures bring the case of the Ten Commandments monument in the city's Julia Davis Park to court.

"The first case was to see if the city could remove the monument without public input," said Swindell. "The second case was to see if the public could override the city's decision through voter initiative."

The Idaho Supreme Court decided in favor of the monument supporters, and the issue was put to a citywide vote in 2006. Largely out of fear of possible lawsuits over a religious display on public grounds, the citizens voted to uphold the city council's decision and return the monument to the Fraternal Order of Eagles that had donated it in 1965.

I have a sad update regarding Isaiah Rafael Rodriguez who has been battling leukemia for the last 2 years. Early this morning Isaiah passed away. I was with Isaiah through the night with his family and friends as he peacefully entered his new journey. Today this precious boy is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you so much for keeping Isaiah in your prayers as I sent you updates. Isaiah is so sweet and loved by so many. As his father said "Isaiah's story continues in the lives of others he so profoundly touched. Today, Isaiah truly...OVERCAME!"

Please keep Ryan, Barbara and the children in your prayers.

In Him,

Brandi



ISAIAH RAFAEL RODRIGUEZ :: 12/20/96 - 07/02/2008


Early this morning, at approximately 1:27am, Isaiah Rafael Rodriguez went to be with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, in a peaceful, sweet passing with friends & family at his bedside...



Isaiah's story continues in the lives of others he so profoundly touched. Today, Isaiah truly...


OVERCAME!
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http://www.overcomeaml.org/

Thank you so much for all the support that has come in. We have received e-mails and phone calls from people asking how they can stand with us and what they can do to help.

Here’s a few ways:

• I have been asked where to send donations to help Bryan and I with the legal fee. You can make checks to Keep the Commandments Coalition, and mail to: P.O. Box 140031, Boise, ID 83714.
• You can write a letter to the editor – Click here to submit your letter.
• You can contact the Mayor and the City of Boise to respectfully voice your opinion at: (208) 384-4422

Today’s issue of the Idaho Statesman includes an article about this issue.
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Boise wants court fees from activists
Christian activists say the city should waive the $10,000 owed from a legal battle over a Ten Commandments plaque.
Local Christian activists Bryan Fischer and Brandi Swindell say pledges are rolling in to help pay a $10,131 legal bill the two owe Boise from their failed effort to keep a Ten Commandments monument in Julia Davis Park.
Swindell said the city was being "vindictive" in asking for the money, and Fischer wrote to his supporters that the city's $479 million budget puts it "certainly in a position to waive this judgment."
Earlier this month, city officials sent a letter to Fischer and Swindell telling them they had to pay up or the city would enforce a property lien placed on Fischer's home in 2004.
The Boise City Attorney's Office said the two had until July 15 to contact the city and resolve the matter, or it would "proceed against you to collect the amounts due, plus interest and costs."
Swindell and Fischer led a lengthy court battle to keep the monument in the park.
In his daily newsletter Friday, Fischer, a former pastor who runs the Idaho Values Alliance, asked supporters for financial help. Later Friday, Swindell said her phone was "ringing off the hook" with outraged citizens offering help.
"The recent actions by Mayor (Dave) Bieter and the Boise City Council to go after a former pastor and single woman, who both run nonprofit organizations, is deeply disturbing on many levels," Swindell wrote in a press release.
Adam Park, spokesman for Bieter, disagreed. A district judge ordered Generation Life, Swindell and Fischer to pay the city's legal fees for the 2004 suit, Park said. At that time, an automatic lien was placed against the property when the order was recorded in the Ada County Recorder's Office, he said.
Bieter and the Boise City Council directed the attorney's office to collect the funds after a routine look at debts owed the city revealed that the money hadn't been paid, Park said.
"By requesting that the parties comply with the judge's order, we are simply fulfilling our obligation to taxpayers to pursue all money owed to the city by any party," Park said.
Park said mayor's office employees couldn't think of a instance in which such a fee was waived, but the city is willing to work out a payment plan.
Fischer said he was never notified of the 2004 lien, but Park said the city was not required to notify Fischer or Swindell.
"When a federal judge says you owe something, that's usually sufficient notice," Park said.
Swindell said she had no idea her personal credit was affected by the court's action. She said the city's response will have a chilling effect on others wishing to "engage in the political process," she said.
"There are things that may be legal, but that does not mean they are principled or ethical," Swindell said. "The city clearly has the option to waive these legal fees against their own citizens who were simply trying to address their grievances with the local government."
Swindell and Fischer formed the Keep the Commandments Coalition after city officials moved the 40-year-old Ten Commandments monument from Julia Davis Park in March 2004 to avoid a legal battle with a controversial minister from Kansas seeking to put an anti-gay monument in the park. The monument was donated to the city in the 1960s.
The group filed legal requests to halt the move and later gathered more than 18,000 signatures in support of an initiative to return the monument.
Bieter refused to schedule an election, but the Idaho Supreme Court forced his hand.
In November 2006, nearly 53 percent of Boise voters rejected the initiative.
Source
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This story has also made national headlines. Click here to read the World Net Daily article about the city’s demand of $10,000.
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I was interviewed by KTVB Channel 7 and Fox 12 News at 9 today concerning today's breaking news about the letter I received from the city of Boise. This letter threatens to seize property and assets of myself and Bryan Fischer for legal fees stemming from a court case concerning the removal of the Ten Commandments Monument from Julia Davis Park.

I would encourage you to watch this evening's news as well as take a moment to read my earlier blog post for more details.

The Idaho Statesman's online edition today includes an article about the recent letter from the City of Boise threatening to seize the property and assets of Brandi Swindell and Bryan Fischer.

Also, I will be interviewed on the Nate Shelman show today; tune into AM 670 KBOI at 4:30 pm or listen live at http://www.670kboi.com/.

Ten Commandments activists still owe city of Boise more than $10,000

Local Christian activists Bryan Fischer and Brandi Swindell are asking for donations after the city of Boise slapped a lien on their property to collect a $10,131 bill from their group's failed legal effort to keep a Ten Commandments monument in Julia Davis Park.

Swindell and Fischer led a lengthy court battle to keep the monument in the park.

The Boise City Attorney's Office wrote the duo they had until July 15 to resolve the matter, or it would "proceed against you to collect the amounts due, plus interest and costs."

In his daily newsletter, Fischer, a former pastor who runs the Idaho Values Alliance, asks supporters for financial help.

“Ms. Swindell and I both work for small non-profit organizations and thus have limited means,” Fischer said. “The city of Boise, on the other hand, has an annual budget of $479 million, and thus is certainly in a position to waive this judgment.”

Swindell issued a press release.

"The recent actions by Mayor (Dave) Bieter and the Boise City Council to go after a former pastor and single woman, who both run non-profit organizations, is deeply disturbing on many levels," Swindell wrote in the release, and went on to call the city's action "vindictive."

Swindell and Fischer formed the Keep the Commandments Coalition after city officials moved the 40-year-old Ten Commandments monument from Julia Davis Park in March 2004.

The City Council removed the monument in 2004 to avoid a legal battle with a controversial minister from Kansas seeking to put an anti-gay monument in the park. The monument was donated to the city in the 1960s.

The coalition gathered more than 18,000 signatures in support of an initiative that would have asked voters to return the monument.

Bieter refused to schedule an election, and a 4th District Court judge agreed. The coalition asked the Idaho Supreme Court to overturn the district court's decision and prevailed.

In November 2006, nearly 53 percent of Boise voters rejected an initiative asking the city to replace it.

Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/235/story/427122.html