Veteran sues city of Alpharetta. He says he was demonstrating, police say he was panhandling

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A veteran who says he was demonstrating outside Alpharetta City Hall is suing the city, alleging that it violated his constitutional right to free speech.

Jeffrey Gray was handcuffed during the demonstration last year and cited for panhandling.

Gray denies that he asked anyone for money, saying he simply stood outside city hall with a sign that read “God bless our homeless veterans.”

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He posted the incident on YouTube.

In the video, an Alpharetta police officer approaches Gray, telling him, “You need to leave.”

Seconds later the officer is heard saying, “Come here, put your hands behind your back. I’m not going to deal with you.”

Gray can then be seen with his hands cuffed and saying “God bless our homeless veterans.”

Alpharetta police and city officials declined to comment on the allegations, citing the pending federal lawsuit.

Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, is representing Gray.

“He goes out and gets to do two things,” he said of Gray. “One is, he gets to spread a message that he believes in, which is that homeless veterans are important and overlooked in our society. And two, he gets to see and show the public how police treat people.”

Steinbaugh said he’s seeking to have Alpharetta stop its practice of citing people for panhandling.

“Panhandling is asking people for money, it’s asking people for help, and that’s protected by the First Amendment,” Steinbaugh said.

Gray has already won a legal victory in Blackshear, a small city in south Georgia.

A YouTube video shows him demonstrating alone outside city hall in 2021 when the police chief politely approaches him.

He tells Gray that he needs a permit to protest and must file an application with the mayor’s office.

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Gray then sued the city.

This month, the city reached a settlement with Gray in U.S. District Court, which included rescinding the local law that led to Gray’s citation.

In addition, the city agreed to train its police officers on free speech issues.

The city also donated $1,791 to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

The amount represents the year 1791 when the First Amendment was ratified.

“So at the end of the day, Blackshear eliminated an unconstitutional law and gave money to an organization,” Steinbaugh said. “And Jeff got nothing but the satisfaction that an unconstitutional law will no longer be on the books.”

As for Alpharetta, the city has responded to the lawsuit, denying allegations that it violated Gray’s First Amendment rights.

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