Important Legal Developments Related to Anti-RNC Protests in New York

[Dancing_Dave]

"Breaking News: International Answer Central Park Lawsuit Denied; UFPJ Suit Still Pending
by NYC-IMC 23 Aug 2004

WNYC has just reported that a federal judge has decided not to force the city to allow protests by International ANSWER and National Council of Arab Americans (NCA) the on the Great Lawn in Central Park. However, judge says that the city and ANSWER can still come to an agreement on another place in the park to protest, and that ANSWER and the city “did not work hard enough” to reach an agreement.
The ANSWER lawsuit is not directly related to the other lawsuit filed by UFP&J, which will be heard tomorrow. It is uncertain as to whether the Judge’s ruling in today’s case will have any impact on the UFPJ lawsuit."

The rest is at http://nyc.indymedia.org/feature/display/102473/index.php

There's a very lively conversation amongst activists there about how to respond.

[Raster]

1. you can bet if the proposed rally on the Great Lawn would have....

...been Pro gee-dubya, permits would be issued posthaste. They hold concerts on the Great Lawn with as many or more people attending. More repuke bullshit. Plain and simple. Anything to inhibit the will of the people.

And now we learn the chickenshit gee-dubya won't even be spending one night in NYC. $hrubco and the B.F.E.E feel it's in poor taste to capitalize on 9/11. Puhleeeeze.

[starroute]

2. Elsewhere in the park? That makes no sense

What I've seen in earlier discussions is that (1) the Great Lawn is the only place in the park large enough to hold a crowd of 250,000 or so and (2) the grass was deliberately reinforced to stand up to a crowd of that size.

If those two things are true, how could there possibly be another location in the park that would be more agreeable?

[hang a left]

4. Were there scientific experts that testified as to the

versatility of the lawn. I don't know how the judge could arrive at that decisions without this type of input.

[struggle4progress]

3. Police brace for unauthorized convention protest in Central Park

By TOM HAYS
Associated Press Writer
August 24, 2004, 3:27 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- Officials are quietly making plans to police spontaneous protests in Central Park on the eve of the Republican National Convention _ expecting thousands of demonstrators to converge on the vast urban parkland regardless of the outcome of this week's court battles.

"We believe they're going to the park," a high-ranking police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday. "You can't keep them out."
<snip>

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, when asked this week about a possible unauthorized rally following Sunday's march, said that police have no plans to restrict access to the park.

"People are free to enter Central Park," he said. "We'll deal with situations as they arise."
<snip>

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--convention-polici0824aug24,0,4390024.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

[Gyre]

5. "We'll deal with situations as they arise."

Well, that seems fair.:)

Gyre