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Everyone expects that they can do so without having to get permission from the city where they reside.
What would happen if one day a person found out that local officials didn't agree. This is what happened to us. Here are reprints of the published articles about our fight to keep the right to pray at home. For more information on the legal suit, see the Iron Oak FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for more information on the suit from the perspective of a person who when through it.
Articles about the Church of Iron Oak and by Iron Oak members appear in a variety of media. Most deal with the Federal lawsuit Iron Oak has brought against the City of Palm Bay, Florida, which singled us out because of our pagan beliefs and tried to keep us from practicing our religion. The following is a reverse chronological listing of many of these articles, and other documents of interest to the pagan community. We hope that this will allow concerned readers to better understand what is happening. This listing will never be complete and we will continue to update it.
| Date | Description and Time Line | Articles |
| February 26, 1996 | At the invitation of a Titusville City Council member, Jacque leads a small group of Iron Oak members to the Council meeting. She opens the meeting with a prayer that includes references to the Lord and Lady. Fundamentalist Christians protest by standing and turning their backs on Jacque; they then recite their Lord's Prayer. The Christians accost the Iron Oak members outside after the prayer to denounce the Pagans. Coverage on all local TV channels, radio, and newspapers. | Wiccans to Pray at Titusville [Florida] Meeting |
| October 29, 1995 | Members of Iron Oak, having attended a Samhain ritual in Hollywood, FL the night before, breakfast at a local restaurant. Many restaurant patrons recognize Jacque from the Sunshine magazine cover. The patrons stare a lot, but that's all. We just try to be friendly. | Witch Hunt, from Sunshine: The Magazine of South Florida. This article is the same as the one run in the Orlando Sentinel, but with different pictures. |
| October 1995 | City Fails to Meet Deadline, Iron Oak Files Motion to Compel | |
| Autumn 1995 | The City Versus You | |
| February 11, 1995 | Wiccans to Drop City Agency from Federal Lawsuit | |
| February 5, 1995 | First Nybor tee shirt announcement. | |
| January 7, 1995 | City of Palm Bay announced that they will not appeal the unanimous ruling of the Palm Bay Code Enforcement Board to the State Appellate Court after all. | |
| December 6, 1994 | Wiccan Ministers Plan to Proceed with Lawsuit | |
| December 5, 1994 | Elders of the Church of Iron Oak decided to pursue its suit in Federal Court against the City of Palm Bay. | Wiccans Must Decide on Suit |
| December 2, 1994 | Complete Text of the Decision of the Code Enforcement Board of the City of Palm Bay in the Iron Oak Matter | |
| November 27, 1994 | Code Decision Met with Thankfulness | |
| November 22, 1994 | Wiccans Win Right to Hold Home Services
Iron Oak Members Volunteered in Storm |
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| November 21, 1994 | Day 3 of hearing. Testimony by ministers of two different Christian churches they use their own home for public religious service on weekly or more basis, far exceeded Iron Oak's use many times over. Code enforcement board votes unanimously that Jacque and Roger are not in violation in less than five minutes with little discussion. City states that it will appeal the decision made by its board at the State Appellate Court. | Wiccans Fight for Rights in Hearing Today |
| October 31, 1994 | Day 2 of hearing. One distant neighbor testifies that we drum twice a month, neighbors on either side state that we do not. (we don't) | Wiccans Fight Spooky Stereotypes
What Exactly Is Halloween? . . . |
| October 13, 1994 | Wiccan Church Waits for Board Decision | |
| October 12, 1994 | Day 1 of hearing. Head zoning inspector testifies that he found no violations in 9 months of observations. Hearing continued to 31 October. | |
| October 11, 1994 | Iron Oak sues Palm Bay in Federal Court asking for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). Judge refuses the TRO to see what the City will do. Because the hearing would be the next day, there was no point in issuing a TRO. Suit rescheduled. | |
| September 17, 1994 | Iron Oak observes Mabon (Fall Equinox) celebration with City officials watching from neighbor's driveway | |
| August 6, 1994 | Iron Oak observes Lughnasadh.
City of Palm Bay cites Jacque and Roger and commands them to appear at Code Enforcement hearing on 12 October 1994. |
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| July 1994 | Hearing called off by Palm Bay. They couldn't find any code violation because Iron Oak had held their Litha (Summer Solstice) at a friend's house. The decision to use another house was made months before any problem with the City because of the heat the previous year. The other house had a swimming pool. | City Drops Case Against Pagan Church |
| May 7, 1994 | Iron Oak worships Beltane (May Day) and gets cited on 27 May. Newspaper and TV stations interview Jacque. | |
| March 30/31, 1994 | Iron Oak asks city if they are in compliance with local zoning code. Palm Bay says "No" because worship with over 5 people is illegal in Palm Bay homes. Jacque and Roger are threatened with both arrest and fines. They decide to go public. They contact local newspaper (Florida Today), radio, television (Local Orlando channels 2, 6, 9). | |
| March 26, 1994 | Distant neighbor contacts her friends and their imaginations run wild. They complain to city of imagined nude dancing, animal and child torture, and other "acts of horror" by Jacque and Roger's guests. | |
| February 5, 1994 | Distant neighbor sees people in worship at Imbolc (Candlemas) festival celebrated at Jacque and Roger's house with invited friends. Neighbor decides that she does not like the religion and calls police (no action), building department, and then zoning. |
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