No permit is needed in DC if you have under 25 people.
In our experiences, the DC police officers have been polite and professional dealing with the Walter Reed dueling protests, except the first time out. That time, the officer asked us for our permit under highly questionable circumstances.
We had called the police because the Pinkos sent three of their number into our midst. They refused all requests to go back to their side of the street. One of them claimed that he was a veteran of the 351st Airborne (there is no such outfit), loved killing, and had a gun in his pocket. After he made the gun statement, he realized that he had gone too far.
The three Pinkos, anticipating the police, scurried away like rats, changing their outer layer of coats (e.g., putting gray sweater over red jacket).
Officer pulled up to the Pinko side of the street. tgslTakoma ran over and said "I'm the one who called." Officer, "go back to your side & I'll come over there when I'm through here."
Officer came over to our side a minute or two later. Barney Fife asked to see our permit & wasn't interested in the disruptors and the alleged gun. We told him that we didn't need a permit. He called his sgt., came out of his car & said that his sgt. confirmed that we didn't need one.
"You can stay there," he said. "What about the people who harassed us and the guy claiming to have a gun?" one of us asked. "Call back if they return," he said.
(Since then, we have had numerous interactions with the police and they have been great, but I just imagine the one officer going to a bank robbery. The bank employee tries to tell the officer which way the perps went, but the officer says "show me your business license.")
Pinkos denied any knowledge of the three disruptors. Then we looked at our photos and found the disruptors were talking to the Pinkos and making their signs "Kill the Poor" with the Pinkos.
When confronted about their lie and our photos proving that the three were Pinkos, Chief DC Pinko Gael Murphy claimed that the three just happened to gather with them and make signs with them, but had nothing to do with Code Pink.
kristinn told the Pinkos that they risked a lawsuit if they tried tricks like that again. They haven't. The thread of the first FReep http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1374288/posts