DOJ weighs a potential civil rights investigation into FWPD over possible First Amendment infringement
By Easton Martin | July 14, 2026
The United States Department of Justice is weighing a formal civil rights investigation into the Fort Worth Police Department following allegations of First Amendment violations during a local festival. The scrutiny comes after the Civil Rights Division issued a formal inquiry to the city regarding potential pattern or practice concerns over how officers handle constitutionally protected speech.
The federal intervention stems from a June 27 incident outside the Trinity Pride Fest in Fort Worth. Videos circulating on social media platforms recorded street preachers Richard Penkoski and David Grisham interacting with local law enforcement on public property near the event. In the video footage, an officer informed the street preachers that they could face citations for disorderly conduct due to offensive language. When questioned whether individuals would be ticketed for offensive speech, an officer replied in the affirmative. Grisham was ultimately issued a citation for disorderly conduct related to unreasonable noise from a bullhorn, while the street preachers maintained that their public demonstration was fully protected under the First Amendment.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, sent a formal notice to Fort Worth City Attorney Leann Guzman. The correspondence requests a thorough review of the municipality’s law enforcement protocols to determine if a full statutory investigation is warranted under federal civil rights laws. The Civil Rights Division noted that government actors are legally prohibited from engaging in viewpoint discrimination or restricting peaceful, expressive conduct based on the popularity or offensiveness of the message.
The Department of Justice gave the city a 30-day deadline to produce extensive documentation. The federal requests encompass the police department’s current First Amendment enforcement policies, official training curricula, and all internal administrative accountability records since 2015 involving citizen complaints of speech suppression.
