A U.S. Army veteran and retired truck driver, who was arrested for a holding a sign with the message "God bless the homeless vets" in front of a Georgia city hall, filed two lawsuits Tuesday alleging his First Amendment right to speak freely outside government buildings had been infringed upon. 

"If the First Amendment means anything, it must mean that you can hold a sign in front of city hall without being handcuffed," The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) attorney Adam Steinbaugh told Fox News Digital in a statement. "We look forward to vindicating Jeff's rights and reinforcing the rights of all."

FIRE filed the two lawsuits on behalf of Jeff Gray, who sued the City of Alpharetta, Georgia, and two of its police officers and the police chief of the City of Blackshear, Georgia, for his repeated detainment, search and arrest, which he believes to be an infringement of his constitutional rights.

"I have been harassed, trespassed, handcuffed and arrested countless times for peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights," Gray said, according to a report from FIRE. "My intention is to ensure that all Americans from the wealthiest millionaire to the poorest homeless person can exercise these rights without fear of consequence from our government." 

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In January 2022, while Gray stood on a public sidewalk outside of Alpharetta City Hall holding the sign that read "God Bless the Homeless Vets," police told him that the action was a form of illegal "panhandling," according to FIRE. Gray documented the scene with his own camera to see how the public and police would react. 

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Gray told police that he was not asking anyone for money, but even if he was, he has the right to do so under the First Amendment, according to FIRE. Police threatened arrest if he refused to stop. 

Alpharetta police reportedly seized and turned off Gray’s video camera, demanded to see his identification, searched him to find it and banned him from the area, which FIRE alleged is a violation of his First Amendment right to film police in public places, to speak without being compelled to identify himself and to engage in expression in a public place.

"If this is how Alpharetta police treat a guy with a camera, how do they act the rest of the time?" Steinbaugh said in the report. "The First Amendment protects the right to hold up a sign — and it certainly protects the right to film police activity in a public space."

In Blackshear, the city’s Police Chief Chris Wright issued Gray a criminal citation and him that he had to have a permit for a "parade, procession, or demonstration" to hold his sign outside city hall, according to FIRE. Wright called it "kind of silly," but explained that in accordance with the city's ordinance, which FIRE said is nearly identical to a law struck down by the Supreme Court in 1969, Gray would have to send a letter to the mayor and city council explaining the purpose of his demonstration and obtain official approval to do so. 

FIRE also sent a letter to Blackshear's mayor explaining that the lawsuit intends to bring an end to the city’s permission-to-speak ordinance. 

"Jeff Gray doesn’t need a government-issued permission slip to speak — the First Amendment is his permission slip," FIRE attorney Harrison Rosenthal said in the report. "Speaking out in public areas is a core First Amendment right, whether government officials recognize it or not. If our cities won’t teach officers to do their job properly, FIRE will."

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In 2011, Gray started uploading recordings of what he calls "civil rights investigations" to his YouTube channel, HonorYourOath Civil Rights Investigations. In his videos, Gray peacefully asserts his First Amendment rights in cities through the southeastern U.S. and documents both positive and negative interactions with police. 

Parents are still without answers nearly a week after a gastrointestinal illness outbreak affected more than 100 children at an elementary school in Las Vegas, resulting in teachers lining the affected students up outside the facility as they repeatedly vomited. 

Officials with the Clark County School District (CCSD) and Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) have not said what caused the incident, which took place on Jan. 27, as many of the 130 affected students experienced "projectile vomiting" outside Wayne N. Tanaka Elementary School, according to 8 News Now.

According to the report, a parent said the students were offered trashcans to direct their expelled contents. 

"A teacher said it was 'like Armageddon.' Our daughter said there were trash cans lined up and kids just throwing up everywhere," Danielle Farrow, a mother of one student, told 8 News Now.

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Another mother, who chose not to be identified, told the outlet her daughter was unwell that Thursday and agreed to keep her home Friday after she threw up "five or six times overnight."

The parent speculated contaminated cafeteria food the children consumed on Thursday may have been the source.

The school district notified parents that they are investigating the incident but failed to provide any additional details, 8 News Now reported.

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"The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) is investigating the cause of the gastrointestinal illnesses reported by several of the students at Tanaka," the district wrote in an email. "We are currently working with the Clark County School District Health Services Department and SNHD on implementing measures to prevent further illness."

The email continued: "Gastrointestinal viruses are common and easily spread from person to person. Regular and appropriate handwashing is one of the most effective prevention methods for reducing the spread of gastrointestinal illness and other illnesses."

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"People who are ill, or caring for someone who is ill, should wash their hands carefully with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food. Sick people should not prepare food or care for others," it added.

Nearly a week after the incident, the school has still not notified the parents about what may have caused the incident.

"I don’t know if they have all the information present as to what happened, but I wish that we did have more constant updates as to what’s going on," the unidentified mother said. "At the end of the day, we don’t know what’s going on. We don’t know how to help them. I mean, if kids are a priority, then we need to know what’s going on, so we can help our children."

The letter was signed by the school’s principal, Mr. Davis.