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NYPD Issues Permits For RNC Protests
The New York Police Department has begun issuing permits for organizations planning demonstrations in and around the Republican National Convention. Three of the groups represented by the New York Civil Liberties Union received permits or consent from the NYPD.
"It's about time," said Donna Lieberman, NYCLU’s Executive Director. “However, we are disturbed that the City continues to refuse to issue permits for the Great Lawn or the North Meadow in Central Park. The Great Lawn has historically been an important site for protest. It is regularly used for large musical events, but has wrongfully been declared off limits for demonstrations." United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) has still not been granted a permit for a march past the convention center followed by a rally.
The groups for which permits have been issued include Planned Parenthood of New York City which will march across the Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall Park on Saturday, August 28th, before the Convention opens. NARAL Pro-Choice New York received a permit for a rally on Tuesday, August 31st in Union Square Park. The Line received the consent from the NYPD after notifying police that it will hold a demonstration of a coalition of arts and labor organizations on Wednesday, September 1st. People will line up on sidewalks on Broadway starting on Wall Street and extending north to Madison Square Garden. The Line does not need a permit for this event.
The NYCLU represents several other organizations that, along with UFPJ, have not yet received permits for demonstrations at the Convention: Hip Hop Summit Action Network, Still We Rise Coalition, the Green Party, NOW-NYC and the organization Not In Our Name.
Earlier this week the New York City Council, by a vote of 44-4, passed Resolution 389a to protect the right to protest at the RNC. Six members of the city's Congressional delegation have asked the Mayor Bloomberg to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to respect the right to protest. The Mayor has not responded.