NYCLU Threatens To Sue City If Central Park Protests Are Banned

May 18, 2005

The New York Civil Liberties Union and representatives from other advocacy groups testified Wednesday before the City Council Parks and Recreation Committee, saying they plan to sue the city if a proposal to ban large protests in Central Park is approved.

The NYCLU says the ban violates first amendment rights, and that closing the city's only available space to hold large protests will push demonstrations into the streets. The groups are planning to rally against the plan later this week.

The city wants to limit large-scale events with up to 50,000 people to six per year, and four have already been reserved for the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. That means just two slots would be available for other large events of any kind, and only in the last half of August and the first half of September.

The Parks Department says the rules, which it proposed last month, merely formalize what has been their policy for years. <snip>

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=8&aid=50966

to provide you with a venue for that free speech?

psst... pass the word

peace

... were inclined to take the view that free speech must be allowed in all "public spaces" (whether privately owned or not).

Sadly, we have subsequently seen some decades of erosion in free speech rights.

The approach you suggest ("abstract right to speak but no factual right to forum") was practiced in the Deep South for many years, when "free speech rights" were limited to outside steps of nationally-owned installations, such as the Post Office or Federal Courthouse.

:kick:

Pope used it; Anti-Nukes used it ( under a Dem mayor); Simon and Garfunkel used it.

There's subtext here: NYC has it's second in succession pro-Bush Republican mayor. Antiwar and anti-republican demonstrators wanted to use the park during the RNC last August. Bloomnerg played all sorts of games to keep them from rallying in CP or in Times Square. Wanted to send them to Queens ( a lightyear away from the Republicans ) or to the deserted far lower west side of Manhattan. Anything to keep the #s down and to please the boss (Bush, et al).

It's a way to control, intimidate , discourage and disenfranchise. Bloomberg's predecessor was a master at it. Bloomberg is just reading the same playbook.