Teenagers are harassing the street preachers outside YouTube's convention
Because if there's one place a street preacher would like to be challenged, it's a convention center filled with 20,000 fiery teens.
Jason Roberts - who wore a San Diego Fire Department t-shirt and baseball cap - plus his crew of three to four minors arrived on scene on preview day, hoisting signs that read, "Your sins separate you from God," and "Repent! And believe in Jesus."
A crowd of teens orbited around him almost constantly during the three-day convention, arguing Roberts' right to "tell them what to do."
Roberts' cohort passed out folding cards labeled as "Get out of hell free cards," with instructions for the path to righteousness.
"This card is bent," said a gangly blonde in a red summer dress. "Does that mean it's going to hell because it's not straight?"
Zing!
"You don't have to," Roberts said.
Attendees who downloaded VidCon's mobile app received notifications throughout the week, encouraging them to ignore their presence.
"Please do not engage with the protesters in the plaza," the notification read. "They're a fixture of the [Anaheim Convention Center] and if they are left alone, they'll leave."
"They're all fine, they are who they are," Roberts said. "We're going to be passionate about what we believe - I hope."
A security supervisor on duty at the Anaheim Convention Center, who declined to give his name, also said no to commenting on the situation.
Attendees took to social media to express their discontent.
Some teens responded by holding signs that said "love wins" nearby. The phrase was a trending hashtag after the historic Supreme Court ruling last month that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.