On a calm Friday, April 4, students were spiking on the volleyball court, ordering from food trucks, and reclining on Lancaster Walk when Pastor Aden Rusfeldt ruptured the tranquility with a bullhorn, posters, and a Jesus-led mission.
The signage warned 32 distinct groups that they must find Jesus or face hellfire. Among the list were “Homos, Gamers, Muslims, and the Pope.” The assertions exhibit the beliefs of the non-denominational Christian church Rusfeldt leads, the Key of David. The Key of David identifies with the Church of Almighty God and meets on Sundays in West Philadelphia.
Students began to congregate on the grass mound before Pastor Aden. His silent wife stood beside him, holding a sign that read “Feminists are witches.”
He pointed to her and declared, “She is my property!”
Rusfeldt went on to note that all women are men’s property, Indians smell, and quinceañeras are whore parties. One student of color stated that Rusfeldt addressed them using the N-word.
At one point, Rusfeldt’s co-preacher, disguised in glasses and a hat, seized the bullhorn. In reference to Hitler, he stated that “These Jews are still mad that other people made them work for a living.” He proceeded to imitate Jewish people during the Holocaust.
Rusfeldt additionally labeled one angered student a “Mad Muslim” and questioned, “Is that a bomb in his bag?”
Some students humoured the pastor’s comments, saying that they would proudly create an OnlyFans and sarcastically laughing at his jokes. Others felt attacked and merely observed from the outskirts of the counterarguments. Bella Gaissert, a Math and Biology student, was walking by when she heard Rusfeldt’s comments vibrating down Lancaster.
“As a woman and Latina, I feel hurt, but as a human, I feel concerned that our humanity has unraveled so much,” Gaissert reflected.
One student strutted into the commotion with a drum strapped at his waist, two drumsticks, and the goal of diverting the crowd’s attention. His passionate percussion solo hushed Rusfeldt for a brief moment until a Drexel Police officer intervened. The drummer was advised to stop because, according to the officer, the noise was worsening the scene.
A group of three Drexel police officers stood in the surrounding area and answered students’ questions. Rusfeldt was allowed to promote his rhetoric because he was situated on a public sidewalk. The cops affirmed that had he set foot on campus, he would have been immediately detained. Though Rusfeldt’s feet were planted on the sidewalk, the words echoing from his bullhorn carried loudly into Drexel’s campus.
In response to the incident, the university provided a statement claiming that “Drexel University is committed to ensuring the safety of its campus community. Individuals have the right to exercise their freedom of speech in public spaces, including those adjacent to Drexel’s campus. The presence of Drexel Police at a demonstration is solely to ensure the safety of community members and compliance with laws that govern public demonstrations — it does not constitute the University’s endorsement.”
Gaissert shared her belief that “Drexel definitely could have done more. At one point, I thought a Drexel maintenance truck was going to park in front of Pastor Aden, which would have been a good idea. They could get a noise complaint submitted.”
This is not the police’s first encounter with Rusfeldt; they explain strict rules to him every time he appears on campus, because, as they understand, they are required to. Drexel is on Rusfeldt’s list of colleges he preaches to often, along with other Greater Philadelphia colleges. This is the ninth year Key of David has preached to college campuses in Philadelphia.
Although Key of David’s representatives, such as Rusfeldt, have repeatedly harassed Indian students this month, six years ago, an Indian pastor preached on behalf of Key of David in that exact same spot on Lancaster Walk.
Earlier, in April of 2021, the street preachers stood before Towers Hall and announced that “Lesbos can never be saved, you’re a sinner, and Muslims burn forever and ever.” The students’ response, again, was music. At this appearance, a saxophone and drum set echoed onto 34th Street.
Students at Bucks County Community College label Rusfeldt’s visits “A Chaotic Tradition.” In 2022, Key of David visited their campus, accompanied by young children holding signs reading “DRUNKS BURN IN HELL” and “NO HOLINESS NO HEAVEN.”
On the first Friday of this April, Rusfeldt posted a YouTube video titled “A lot of you Drexel women are very selfish.” The video depicts students standing before him, talking amongst themselves, filming him, or simply observing.
“Everyone knows that women deserve less,” Rusfeldt’s co-preacher states. In response, students jokingly respond, “Hell yeah!” clap, and cheer. One young man refutes, “Weren’t you born from one?”
This is one of several examples of Rusfeldt toeing the line between his First Amendment rights and Disorderly Conduct. Under federal law, it is illegal to willfully give false information suggesting that someone else is trying to bomb or cause harm. In Germany, mocking the Holocaust is illegal and punishable by up to 5 years in prison, but Rusfeldt is able to do so on Drexel’s campus without repercussions.
On the rules of activism on campus, Drexel states, “The University is committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and respectful campus environment in which no community member is harassed, threatened, or intimidated.”
Rusfeldt is a former snowboarder who says, “I used to be a sinner and now I’m a saint. You don’t need to be a dead Catholic to be a saint.”
As of now, the university does not have the jurisdiction to prohibit Pastor Aden from returning – nor does it have the ability to silence the drums and dissent of the student body.