on august 3, 2014, freeman attended services with his family at 12stone church in flowery branch, georgia, where he served as a volunteer minister to youths. on that day, jason berry (then pastor at that campus), displayed video of a staples commercial which portrayed children as being particularly depressed about returning to school, and offered prayers for local public school teachers. at trial and in his appeals, freeman contended that he was displeased with the display because of youth in the church who had expressed suicidal thoughts in the lead-up to the new school year. in response, freeman (who was positioned in the back of the sanctuary about 50 yards away from berry) raised his middle finger to berry. at trial, freeman stated that it was his intention to object without disrupting the service, saying "i believe that i would have been failing in my duty as a minister to the church and god if i had not confronted jason for what he said, and i believe that i did so in the most appropriate way possible." thereafter, when the church service had ended, freeman stood and addressed the crowd saying, "it is your responsibility to raise your own children, and it is a sin to give them to a godless government."