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Battle for 'invocation' right at meeting continues in Brevard County

Brevard County is trying to prevent a group that doesn't believe in God from delivering the invocation at its meetings.
It’s something five other Central Florida counties have allowed.

The Brevard County Commission has set aside $60,000 of taxpayer money in case it loses in court.
Channel 9's Angela Jacobs talked to members of the group about what they said is their two-year fight for equality.
As a Brevard County resident, Chase Hansel said he would like to participate in the invocation at commission meetings.
“To bring everyone together and focus their attention on the task at hand. It would be an honor to do,” said Hansel.
Hansel is a member of the Secular Space Coast Free Thought Association, the group suing for the right to speak.
The group filed suit last July, as the county adopted the resolution, formalizing its 44-year practice. It pointed out that the tradition of the invocation is reserved for faiths that believe in God, and cited examples it had found to be "scoffing, mocking and demeaning."
But that belief was ridiculed by groups like Hansel's.
Hansel said the county never asked what the plaintiffs planned to say, or looked at other invocations that they've given in other municipalities.
“They're trying to censor our speech before we have it,” Hansel said.
The county told Channel 9 it couldn't comment on an ongoing lawsuit, but referred to the documents in the case. Channel 9 found in its correspondence with the group, the county told members they could not participate in the invocation, but were free to speak during public comments.
“Anybody can give any kind of invocation in the public comments section. So it's very second-class kind of positioning there. It's really not the same at all,” Hansel said.
Hansel said the legal battle is over government that represents all.
“If we're going to have equality, then we need to have it everywhere, and even some of the smaller battles are worth fighting for,” Hansel said.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Previous Story: Group challenging invocation policy in Brevard County commission meetings

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