Al Sharpton called for all Black churches to close during the global pandemic. During a conference call with several prominent religious leaders in America, Sharpton made a plea to cancel all in-person services.
Sharpton wanted to get the message out to the masses as Easter approaches.
The call to action was prompted by the arrest of Paster Tony Spell. Over the weekend, Spell decided to hold service at his Life Tabernacle Church, a megachurch in Louisiana.
Spell hosted service on Sunday with 1,265 reported members and he also held a service on March 31, according to WADB-TV. The religious leader was cited and currently faces six counts of disobeying the power of government.
Sharpton warned other religious leaders against hosting services.
In Florida, pastor Rodney Howard-Browne was also arrested for holding two church services on March 29.
Following his arrest, Howard-Browne said that he had to temporarily shut the church down, “Not from the virus, but from a tyrannical government.”
“I have been arrested over 30 times for civil rights and civil disobedience — twice for ninety days and another 45 days for standing up for people’s civil and human rights,” Sharpton tweeted. “These separate incidents involving leaders of faith putting people’s lives in danger is not a matter of civil or human rights, nor is it a testament of faith.”
