Groups Denied Protesting Permits for G20 Meet (Pittsburgh)

[Hissyspit]

Source: KDKA-Channel 2

Aug 18, 2009 10:56 pm US/Eastern
Groups Denied Protesting Permits For G20 Meet
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Groups denied protesting permits for Point State Park during the G-20 Summit held a meeting. They gathered at East Liberty Presbyterian Church to figure out where and how they'll be able to express their views when the summit is in town.

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"We feel that this is turning into a First Amendment civil rights issue," Francine Porter, from Code Pink Women For Peace, said. "We have the right to be seen, we have the right to get our message out." Code Pink and the Iraq Veterans Against The War brought a letter addressed to Pittsburgh City Council.

- snip -

All of their permits have been denied. Local government officials say they're waiting on the Secret Service before they can issue permits, but local protesters aren't buying it.

Some of the groups at the meeting say they're already on the agenda for City Council's meeting on September 2. They hope to get answers then so they can start organizing legal demonstrations and not resort to marching without permits.

Read more: http://kdka.com/local/g20/Protesters.G20.meet.2.1134419.html

[Mythsaje]

1. Public gatherings are a privilege, not a right!

Or some such shit.

Someone remind me when and where it was decided that people needed to have permits to exercise their 1st Amendment rights?

I understand the arguments for them, I'm just wondering when it was decided that it wasn't really a "right."

[JDPriestly]

6. The protection of the First Amendment varies according to whether

a space is public (really open to free speech) or private. Still, should public bodies be able to protect activities that are of great public interest from public comment and scrutiny by holding them in private places?

[Mythsaje]

7. Well, I'd say a park is a public place, for example... As are city streets

Or so I'd imagine.

Now the question you ask is a good one too.

[proud patriot]

2. They tried that in Chicago once

Thanks to the Chicago 8 it's been awhile since permits
were denied .

[zeos3]

3. All they need to do is

bring guns and signs referring to spilling the blood of tyrants...duh

[comtec]

4. as lubruls they'd be shot on sight

as RW whatck jobs they'd be let up close and personal...

oh wait these are the mega rich... even the whackjobs would be shot down.

The kings can be bothered by the noise made by the rubes now can they?

[JDPriestly]

5. Someone can carry a gun on a church property at which Obama is speaking

But Code Pink, which has been demonstrating in a non-violent way for years and years and is well known to every politician, can't get a permit to demonstrate at the G-20 Summit.

That is definitely a civil rights issue. But then, Obama is more concerned about the civil rights of the right-wing extremists than those of the liberal/moderates. Honestly. This is disgusting news.

[biermeister]

8. anyone remember when all of America was a "free speech zone"? nt

[Tsar_Bomba]

9. Sounds to me that

racist right wingers are allowed to gather wherever they want. Socialists and Communists are not.