AMENDMENT I.2
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Read that again, very slowly... very carefully.
Now, I ascribe to "slippery slope" school of thought. The present government will never tear up the constitution outright. It will quietly nibble away at the edges until there is nothing left but shredded paper.
And of all places, it will begin in New York.
The New York City Police Department plans to put into effect an expanded set of rules restricting assembly freedom of peaceful protest.
The following are proposed changes to Chapter 19 of Title 38:
* Any group of two (2) or more cyclists or pedestrians traveling down a public street, who violate any traffic law, rule or regulation can be arrested for parading without a permit.
* Any group of 20 or more cyclists must obtain a permit and approved route from the NYPD or would be subject to arrest
* Every group of 35 of more pedestrians must obtain a permit and approved route from the NYPD or would be subject to arrest
In essence:
This would give the NYPD the power to arrest and detain people for things as common as walking, running and biking in groups of two or more.
Permits would have to be filled out months in advance. Red tape, bureaucracy and information such as what street, sidewalk, path, lawn, park (you get the message) duration of the protest would have to be negotiated.
Spontaneous assembly will be illegal.
THIS Could Never Happen
New York - march for suffrage.
The UNHEARD Will Never Be Given Voices
New York - immigration protest
The TRUTH Will Never Get Out
New York - protesting against the Iraq War
But, it doesn't just apply to peaceful protests. Charity and group runs, walks and bikerides will technically be affected. School children walking in groups, tourist groups and yes, even funeral processions legally would have to apply in advance for a permit.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has rationalized this as a need to maintain public safety insuring emergency vehicles the ability to travel city streets without having to negotiate "unlawful" protests.
Has he EVER been to New York? Emergency vehicles are not impeded by protesters or peaceful public assembly but by traffic jams. This is the of the Department of Transportation's problem that could easily be solved by putting in lanes specifically for mass transit and emergency vehicles, as has been done in many cities in North America.
How soon could this happen? August 24th.
What YOU can do.
* If you live in New York, there is a public hearing on August 23rd, 2006 at 6pm at 1 Police Plaza. Testify at the August 23 public hearing and attend the rally outside in opposition to the changes. To testify, send notice to: Assistant Deputy Commissioner Thomas P. Doepfner New York City Police Department 1 Police Plaza, Room 1406 New York, NY 10038.
* Contact the elected officials of New York:
- City Councillor (Look up your Council Member http://www.nyccouncil.info/... )
- City Council Speaker Chris Quinn Phone: (212) 788-7210
- Mayor Michael Bloomberg Dial 311
- Contact Council Civil Rights Committee Chair Larry Seabrook Phone: (212) 788-6873
The Proposed rules can be found at http://www.transalt.org/...
Hasn't New York lost enough?