A 25-year-old is suing the city of Roanoke and its vice-mayor in federal court because he says he was denied the right to deliver a prayer at a city council meeting.
Grayson Cotes says he was denied his freedom of religion and speech when the council refused to let him lead a prayer as a member of the Satanic Temple. .
Cotes attended a Roanoke City Council meeting this month and signed up to speak about housing issues. As the meeting started, Vice Mayor Terry McGuire looked around for the pastor signed up to deliver the opening invocation. She wasn't present.
"If she's not here, you get to see me lead a prayer, and I'm not the mayor," McGuire said. "Alright, we don't see her. Well, please stand, and we'll say a quick prayer. Unless someone else.. Do I see a hand up? Yes sir."
Cotes raised his hand and asked to lead the prayer instead. When he identified himself as a member of the Satanic Temple, McGuire hesitated.
"I don't think so tonight," McGuire said. "But maybe you can reach out and sign up. See if you can sign up perhaps in the future."
But Cotes wouldn't let it go. He used his phone to pull up a prayer from the Satanic Temple and read it, speaking over the Pledge of Allegiance. Eventually, a police officer showed him out.
Now, Cotes is suing the city for $12.2 million dollars. He filed the case himself.
"This isn't my first federal court case," Cotes says. "I have about five right now. Three against several employers in the Roanoke Valley. One that I filed about a week before the city council one, against the U.S. government, specifically regard into the mention of God on U.S. currency and God in the pledge of allegiance."
Last week a federal judge dismissed the case against the U.S. government for being frivolous.
Since the case against Roanoke city was first reported in the Roanoke Times, Cotes has heard mixed reaction. But he says he's serious.
"I've actually seen a lot more support than I expected," Cotes says. "But you see the comments, 'Oh he's just a troll. Oh it's just a quick money grab.' That's the thing, is like, it's not. It's not a joke, it's not a troll."
Radio IQ reached out to city officials and to McGuire for comment; neither responded.
