[free-sklyarov] street permits

[Declan McCullagh]

On Fri, Jul 20, 2001 at 08:46:54PM -0000, phr-2001 at nightsong.com wrote:
> Some people have been asking about whether they need street permits to
> protest.  IANAL, but from other protest experiences, and basic knowledge
> of how the first amendment works, I believe the answer is:
> 
> You do NOT need a street permit to protest in the US.  Protesting
> political issues on the sidewalk is protected free speech of the
> highest order and you have the absolute right to do it with nobody's
> permission, as long as you stay off the street, you don't use
> amplified sound, you keep moving (if you stay in one spot, that's
> loitering--that's the reason picketers walk back and forth), and you
> don't block pedestrian traffic.

My fuzzy recollection of DC law says that the above is incorrect, or
at least incomplete. Laws vary by city, and your general advice is not
specific enough and could get people in trouble if they blindly follow it.

For instance, one article I wrote quoted Capitol Police as saying
20 people or more require a permit:
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,42676,00.html

I once got a permit from U.S. Park Police for a 50-person gathering
for a presidential campaign I worked on in 1992.

-Declan