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Related: About this forumN.C. county backs down, allows protest of anti-gay sermon
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012
N.C. county backs down, allows protest of anti-gay sermon
Joe Depriest | McClatchy Newspapers
MAIDEN, N.C. Catawba County, N.C., officials have backed down after initially denying a request from marchers who want to use county facilities this weekend to stage a protest against a preacher's anti-gay sermon.
Organizers of the protest had originally predicted several hundred marchers would show up Sunday outside the Providence Baptist Church in Maiden to protest against the Rev. Charles Worley, who said in a sermon that gays should be put behind electrified fences.
But national attention, including coverage on Anderson Cooper's CNN show, swelled estimates to between 1,500 and 2,000. Because of safety concerns, organizers decided to move the protest, and asked that it be held on the grounds of the Catawba County Justice Center in Newton, about 12 miles away.
In originally denying the request, the county had cited county codes governing public use of grounds. Provisions include completing an application 14 days prior to the date of the proposed use, a requirement that a group making the request must have been in existence at least one year and proof of insurance.
Protesters wanted the requirements waived, saying they're not an organized group - just concerned citizens coming together for a cause. They'd asked for help from the American Civil Liberties Union.
"We want to peacefully and respectfully practice our First Amendment rights," said protest organizer Laura Tipton, 24, of Hickory. "We aren't a specific group or organization. All we want is the use of the grounds - a safe place."
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http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/05/24/150114/nc-county-backs-down-allows-protest.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=news
HillWilliam
(3,310 posts)Thanks for the cross-post!!
Scuba
(53,475 posts)The Constitution is clear on this, and the courts have upheld it at every turn. Sounds like the County saved themselves a lawsuit.
William769
(55,148 posts)Evasporque
(2,133 posts)again and again.....holding signs....