Detroit, Michigan--(Newsfile Corp. - November 2, 2023) - Soul Tribes International Ministries (Soul Tribes), a prominent religious organization known for its unique approach to spirituality through the sacramental consumption of Sacred (Psilocybin) Mushrooms, today announced it has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the City of Detroit and its Police Department for intentionally violating its constitutional rights to free exercise of religion and expression.
Last month, the City of Detroit raided and filed a baseless and discriminatory nuisance lawsuit against Soul Tribes and its members for engaging in dispensing its Holy Sacrament, Sacred (Psilocybin) Mushrooms" to its membership. According to the City's Verified Complaint, this sincere religious exercise is considered "unlawful" activity under the Michigan Nuisance Statute, although the statute itself doesn't define that term.
After an onerous search and much consideration, Soul Tribes International Ministries chose to retain the law firm "Cannabis Counsel," a distinguished Detroit law firm specializing in the compliance and legality of Cannabis and other controlled substances. Additionally, Soul Tribe chose to retain the renowned religious free exercise expert George "Greg" Lake, an attorney licensed in Texas and Louisiana and who has been accepted by the Michigan Court to represent Soul Tribes in this matter. Mr. Lake specializes in the free exercise of religion and the sacramental consumption of psychedelics/entheogens. In addition to asserting free exercise rights of Soul Tribes against the City's severe infringement thereupon, the attorneys, on behalf of and at the request of Soul Tribes, are also asserting counterclaims against the City of Detroit and Detroit Police Department for $1 billion in economic damages, in addition to seeking injunctive and declaratory relief from Hon. Patricia Fresard's November 16, 2023 preliminary injunction forcing the Church to close down its building, pending a full trial on the merits. This landmark case involves very important and extremely complex issues relating to free exercise rights under both the State and Federal constitutions, the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claims for the City and its employees targeted and intentional intrusion upon the free exercise rights of the Church and its membership.
Shaman Shu, spiritual leader and spokesperson for Soul Tribes International Ministries, emphasized the significance of these legal developments, stating, "We are committed to defending the religious freedoms of our Church, its members, and all others in this country who wish to receive direct communion with their creator through the safe, peaceful, sacred, and circumscribed use of psychedelic/entheogenic sacraments, as our ancestors have for at least ten thousand years.
"It must be noted that sixty percent of Detroit citizens approved Proposition E, Detroit's decriminalization measure November 3, 2021, which overtly permits the conduct at issue in the City's nuisance suit. However, there have been no instances of intrusion upon the secular use of the substances listed therein. Moreover, Soul Tribes alleges that the city has never raided any other house of worship with assault rifles, with the intent to unlawfully and without due process confiscate its sacrament. The Church believes that these facts show that it was targeted specifically based upon the nature of its substantive beliefs and practices, as opposed to presenting any nuisance in the City.
"While the fentanyl, opiate, and meth epidemics continue to grow and expand at exponential and alarming rates, and the death count continues to mount, the Church is unable to ascertain how mounting such an offensive against its' Church, whose sacrament has been scientifically shown to effectively treat addiction and other conditions which plague the growing mental health crisis. While our Church members worked hard to get the signatures necessary to pass Proposal E, our Church was rewarded by the city with a raid, sacrament seizure, and civil nuisance suit filed against it, effectively shutting down its doors for an indeterminable amount of time. The monetary and spiritual/religious damages suffered in this case by the Church, its membership, and the wider Detroit Metro Community, while in many regards incalculable, are likely well over $1 billion. The Church's decision to partner with Cannabis Counsel and Attorney George Lake reflects its dedication to securing the best possible legal representation and expertise in this complex case."
Soul Tribes International Ministries' legal team, led by Attorney Thomas Lavine from Cannabis Counsel and Attorney George Lake, is fully prepared to pursue this case vigorously, ensuring that the Church and its' memberships' religious freedoms, including their sincere religious use of Sacred (Psilocybin) mushrooms is protected by both the Michigan and United States Constitutions, laws, and ordinances.
The City of Detroit has not yet responded to the lawsuit. Soul Tribes International Ministries remains steadfast in their pursuit of a resolution that safeguards their religious liberty, ensuring that psychedelic/entheogen-based religious practices, as guaranteed in our Constitutions and laws, are upheld and protected indefinitely.
About Cannabis CounselTM
Cannabis Counsel is a prominent law firm specializing in the legal aspects of cannabis and spirituality. The firm is recognized for its expertise in navigating the complex legal landscape surrounding religious freedom and the use of natural substances in spiritual practices.
About Attorney George Lake
As an expert on the free exercise rights of entheogen/psychedelic-based practitioners, Mr. Lake has consulted over 70 such religious groups establishing Churches and "enshrining" their free exercise rights under both state and federal laws. Additionally, Mr. Lake has authored two books on these issues, "The Law of Entheogenic Churches in the United States" "The Law of Entheogenic Churches (Vol. II): the Definition of Religion under the First Amendment." Mr. Lake is also currently defending two ayahuasca-based religious practitioners in North Carolina. Mr. Lake has also taught continuing legal education courses in Entheogenic Church Law for attorneys in a number of states, including Oregon, Washington, and California.
About Soul Tribes International Ministries
Soul Tribes International Ministries is a unique religious organization that incorporates the sacrament of psilocybin mushrooms into their spiritual practices. The ministry is dedicated to fostering faith, community, and spirituality among its members while adhering to their distinctive religious beliefs.
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