A protester donning a pink suit and bandana mask was arrested Sunday afternoon at a COVID-19 field hospital in New York City’s Central Park that is being run by an evangelical group whose leader has a long history of anti-LGBTQ beliefs.
“They have no business being in New York City,” the protester, William Talen, 69, shouted as six New York City Police Department officers, one of whom appeared to be carrying Talen’s rainbow flag, removed him from the park. “They are the virus.”
The 68-bed field hospital is run by Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian humanitarian organization run by Franklin Graham, son of the late Rev. Billy Graham. Franklin Graham, as NBC News previously reported, has a long history of controversial beliefs and remarks, and his relief organization requires volunteers to adhere to a Statement of Faith, which says “marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.”
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Talen, a performer who also goes by “Reverend Billy,” was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to an NYPD spokesperson, who said he is thus far the only person to be arrested at the field hospital.
In an email sent to NBC News, the spokesperson said Talen “jumped over the outer perimeter barrier of the Samaritan’s Purse Field Hospital, a prohibited area” and was then “instructed to leave.” He “refused” and proceeded to plant a flag on a pole into the ground.”
Talen did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and while Samaritan’s Purse declined to comment on Sunday’s incident, a spokesperson told NBC News on Monday that the organization’s “focus remains on providing the highest level of care to all patients being treated at our Emergency Field Hospital in Central Park.”
In a previous statement shared with NBC News, Franklin Graham said Samaritan’s Purse “treats everyone we help the same.”
“We do not make distinctions about an individual’s religion, race, sexual orientation, or economic status,” he stated. “We certainly do not discriminate, and we have a decades-long track record that confirms just that.”
Samaritan’s Purse is working with the Mount Sinai Health System, a New York City hospital network, to address the overflow of patients due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement emailed to NBC News on Monday, a Mount Sinai spokesperson said all staff within its hospital system, including the Samaritan’s Purse field hospital, “will adhere” to Mount Sinai’s “principles and guidelines when it comes to not discriminating against patients or staff.”
“In short, while our organizations may have differences of opinions, when it comes to COVID-19 we are fully united: We will care for everyone and no patients or staff will be discriminated against,” the spokesperson said.
Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the views of Samaritan’s Purse “troubling” and said his administration will monitor the situation to ensure there is no discrimination, according to NBC New York.
“I’m very concerned to make sure this is done right, but if this is done right, we need all the help we can get,” he said at a press conference.
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