[CIMC-working] (fyi) FW: NY City cites terrorist threats to ban protest marches!

[Chris Kaihatsu]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "viviane" <vlerner@interpac.net>
Date: Sat, 8 Feb 2003 20:19:35 -1000
To: "David McR" <DavidMcR@aol.com>
Cc: "Prog. Review" <news@prorev.com>, "Rad Times" <resist@best.com>
Subject: NY City cites terrorist threats to ban protest marches!

Is this true???
Viviane
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http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--paradepermit0207feb07,0,583
2872.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
Civil rights lawyer: City cites terrorist threats to ban protest marches
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press Writer

February 7, 2003, 8:24 PM EST

NEW YORK -- A civil rights lawyer accused the city on Friday of citing
terrorist threats to ban protest marches as he urged a federal judge to
permit a parade of anti-war demonstrators at the United Nations next week.

Chris Dunn, a staff attorney with the New York Civil Liberties Union, said
the city was using "a theoretical possibility something terrible is going to
happen to cancel the right of people to participate in peaceful protest."

He accused the city of quietly adopting the policy in the fall and having
since refused to issue parade permits for Manhattan below 59th Street.

City lawyer Rachel Goldman said the city rejected a permit for the Feb. 15
rally because police could not assure public safety for up to 100,000 people
without better information from parade organizers.

"The First Amendment right is not absolute. The plaintiffs do not have a
right to march or protest any way they want, wherever they want and how they
want," Goldman said.

She said the city had agreed to let a group of local and national
organizations opposed to a war against Iraq stage a rally near the United
Nations but not to march past it.

"We don't have a general ban against protest marches in the city of New
York," Goldman said.

U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Jones listened to testimony and arguments
for more than four hours Friday but reserved decision. She indicated she
planned to work through the weekend to decide the dispute.

Assistant Chief Michael D. Esposito testified that the police department
since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks faces extra security issues that
require more planning for rallies and marches, especially one forecast to be
so large.

The United Nations was an especially sensitive security landmark after it
was included in 1993 as a target of terrorists who plotted to blow up five
New York City landmarks at once, he said. The plot was thwarted and a dozen
men were eventually convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

"The concern we have is the security concerns since 9-11, which was
heightened today," Esposito said, referring to the government decision
Friday to raise its terror threat level to high. "I have received orders to
do certain things concerning security as of 12 (noon) today."

Dunn urged the judge to protect the First Amendment during a time of
terrorist threats.

"It's cases like this where the First Amendment gets put to the real test,"
he said. "More and more the government response to people wanting to engage
in protest is, `You can't do it because of 9-11."'

He said the march was a "classic political event" that was being organized
professionally by Leslie Cagan.

Cagan testified that she has organized rallies and marches of up to 1
million people since 1967 and has planned this one to be peaceful and
orderly.

She admitted the plans were on the fast track but said it was "because
events in the world are moving so quickly."

Cagan said she was "shocked when the city took off the table the possibility
of the march."

Goldman, the city lawyer, said the city did not deny that the protesters
have a right to express their views near the object of their protest.

But she said the security threats to the city and the nation were real and
could not be ignored.

She said the city would welcome the day when threats were reduced to a point
where people could march through the streets without tight security.

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