Gail has long desired to serve her community, whether through nursing or sharing her faith. But now, she lives in fear of arrest if she tries to take her grandkids to the park or the library for story time. This sweet grandmother just wants to have conversations and spread hope to others in one of the few ways her disability allows her to. Instead, she can’t even step foot in the park without fear of arrest.

The park association targeted her even further by calling the police when they found out she volunteered at a Vacation Bible School held in the park. Clearly the park association was watching for this gentle blind woman like a hawk waiting to pounce. Gail is being specifically targeted with unfair accusations only because she is a person a faith – someone that should have the right to free expression.

Stopping the Discrimination

In June of 2020, First Liberty filed a discrimination charge with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights that will help protect Gail’s god-given rights that have been unjustly stripped away from her.

Our legal team is clear that what these public officials did to Gail was in blatant violation of Rhode Island’s laws for places of public accommodation and it is clear that she suffered cruel discrimination solely for sharing her faith.

It is simply outrageous that a kind, blind woman should have to live in fear of arrest simply because she wants to talk about her faith. Other members of the community can stroll in Wilcox Park and converse, but park officials will call the police on a blind woman who simply dares to talk about Jesus in the park.

If we can’t reach justice for someone like Gail Blair, we will see our freedoms stripped away piece by piece.

Gail Blair literally walks by faith and not by sight—and now she wants to share her newfound sight with her community.

Her story is yet another in a long list of religious Americans whose freedom has come under attack-a truly alarming trend. No American—let alone a gentle, blind woman—should be banned, censored or threatened with arrest for simply carrying on conversations about their faith in a public park.

Will you join First Liberty and stand up for people like Gail Blair? We can no longer sit on the sidelines as gentle blind women are banned from public places.