Friday, April 13, 2007

Rally Canceled

If you were planning to attend the Early Spin pro-troop rally tomorrow, it’s off. 

We will not be able to hold our protest the protesters protest this weekend.  It comes down to a permit issue and to be fair, I will tell you that’s it’s not an issue on the city of Milwaukee’s end, it’s on our end.  Most people that I have talked to at the city have been very helpful.

I still want to do this because I think it’s a great point to make.  What we need is a group that will get the permit and hold liability.  Funny that we want to support the troops and there will be so many of us that we need to have someone be liable, but if you only have 20 people, and they break windows and spread human feces around inside the building, no permit is required.

That’s a shame.  But in the larger sense, the greater shame is that a rally has been quelled because the government won’t issue a permit.  So much for free speech.

(5) Comments
Posted by Owen at 2131 hrs
Culture + Military + Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. You may want to reread the post Owen.  It says that the screwup is on their side and the city was very helpful and tried to work with them.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 14, 2007 at 0908 hrs


  2. I don’t think it’s because the government won’t issue a permit.  It’s because they need someone willing to take on the potential liability to take out the permit!  But that is a shame, too, in that you have to have liability insurance for a peaceful demonstration.

    Posted by Larry on April 14, 2007 at 0909 hrs


  3. I understand that, John.  My comment was more generally directed at the fact that we have to get a permit to peaceably assemble.  Seems like I remember something in the Bill of Rights that addresses this.  That’s why I said “in a larger sense.”

    Posted by Owen on April 14, 2007 at 0919 hrs


  4. I thought that is why we were fighting the war on terrorism, so that we could be free and we would not have to ask the government for permission to conduct lawful business or demonstrations?

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 14, 2007 at 1010 hrs


  5. Will they march on the sidewalk? What’s the route? The police department needs to know, so officers can be deployed to cross the marchers at major intersections. Will they march on the street? Then DPW needs to cover the parking meters and/or parking signs, to clear the curbs. They may also need to put barricades up or arrange to have someone check the route afterwards for litter sweeping. Does someone else want that same street, sidewalk, or public location, for their own demonstration? Those are some of the issues that are addressed when you get a permit.

    As far back as 1941, the Supreme Court has held that “government, in order to regulate competing uses of public forums, may impose a permit requirement on those wishing to hold a march, parade, or rally” along narrow lines, a few of which I gave above.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 14, 2007 at 1506 hrs


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