(Tea Party) Protest to go ahead without permit (Tea Party/Tax Revolt updates and links)

Rutland Herald ^ | April 11, 2009 | Stephanie M. Peters

[abb]

West Rutland resident Jon Wallace is moving ahead with plans for Wednesday's Tax Day Tea Party in Main Street Park, despite being denied a special event permit by the Board of Aldermen this week.

When it comes down to it, he said, he's been told he doesn't really need the permit. And he doesn't see how the aldermen think they could deny protestors' First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly anyway, he said.

"My gut feeling was that 'thou doth protest too much,'" Wallace said of the board's decision to deny the permit. Wallace was not at Monday night's aldermen meeting — a sticking point for several members of the board irritated both by the short notice of the request and the fact they couldn't get answers to some lingering questions.

"What are they afraid of?" he said Friday. "If your ear is to the ground and you're listening to people and you're trying to do the people's work, my God you're going to be standing there with us embracing us."

Wallace is the Vermont state coordinator for a grassroots effort to hold a coordinated, national tea party protest. According to the Tax Day Tea Party Web site, more than 600 cities will play host to similar rallies, including Montpelier.

The rallies aren't meant to be divisive or partisan, in fact Wallace describes them as "genteel." That said, he wanted to dot his i's and cross his t's by getting a permit even though the event doesn't feature vendors, require streets to be blocked off or require a police detail.

So he obtained the necessary sign-offs from the Parks and Recreation Department, city police, city fire and the city attorney, as well as liability insurance. Thus he was shocked when he heard his request had been denied.

Alderman William Notte was the first to raise concerns about the event during Monday's meeting. He voted against it, and followed up his decision by writing an e-mail to the group explaining his rationale and noting this doesn't mean the event couldn't go on — a question addressed by City Attorney Andrew Costello during the meeting.

"All we did, in my opinion, by not giving them a special event permit was not give them the city's official approval, which would limit our liability if something went wrong," Notte said.

Police Lt. Kevin Geno also seconded Costello's opinion that when held Wednesday, the rally will not be in violation of the law.

"They were just being cautious and doing the right thing really just to let the city fathers know what was going on," Geno said. "They can still hold it."

If the permit request had been turned in even two weeks sooner — and the permit form does state it should be submitted at least 30 days prior to the proposed event — Notte said he believes it would have been approved without a hitch.

"This is a good example of why anyone coming (to the aldermen with a request) for the first time would be well served to send a representative to the meeting," he said.

While it may be a good idea, it's not a written requirement. Yet Notte wasn't the only alderman to express his displeasure that someone from the group — which it was also noted the board is unfamiliar with — wasn't in attendance.

Wallace didn't know it was expected of him, he said when reached after the meeting Monday night. In fact, he didn't even realize the permit was subject to the board's final OK. He thought he'd already received it.

That confusion could open the city up for accusations of discrimination, according to Allen Gilbert, ACLU of Vermont's executive director.

"It's a problem if the regulation doesn't make clear what their requirements are," Gilbert said. "That sort of vagueness can easily lead to discriminatory treatment and a public body wants to avoid that when it comes to granting permission or withholding permission for using a public space."

David Allaire, president of the Board of Aldermen, said a discussion about tweaking the permit requirements is already under way.

"I think it's a good idea to look at the permit and see if there are some additional requirements that we want to put in place, and also look and see if this is something we want to actually have in an ordinance to give it some basis of law other than just a policy," Allaire said Friday.

He said he wasn't aware before the start of the meeting that any of his board members were planning to take issue with the request. If he had, "maybe we would have been able to contact (Wallace)… (The permit procedures) are not common public knowledge."

stephanie.peters@rutlandherald.com

[abb]

Updates and links to follow downthread.

[abb]

ping

[MarkL]

Only government approved protests will be allowed.

Mark

[raptor29]

About time our side stopped worrying about what the commie opposition says. Screw them, move forward.

[vbmoneyspender]

David Allaire, president of the Board of Aldermen, said a discussion about tweaking the permit requirements is already under way.

"I think it's a good idea to look at the permit and see if there are some additional requirements that we want to put in place, and also look and see if this is something we want to actually have in an ordinance to give it some basis of law other than just a policy," Allaire said Friday.

I don't know about Mr. Allaire - but personally I don't think there is anything more fulfilling than calling a committee together to discuss tweaks to permit requirements.

[Spirochete]

French farmers/truckers occasionally paralyze the roadways in protest, I don’t think they get permits for it. The French have more balls than we do in that regard.

[abb]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2226968/posts
Arizona Tea Party Rallies (locations)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226889/posts
The Tea Tantrum Movement

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2226866/posts
COUNTDOWN TO APRIL 15TH TEA PARTY DOCUMENT: TWELVE ARTICLES OF DEFENSE

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226847/posts
Tea Party role reversal: how to deal with potential agents provocateurs from the left

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226813/posts
Richardson Texas Tea Party

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2226766/posts
The Boston Tea Party started over a tax cut (What?!)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2226744/posts
Tea Parties Are Sooo Scaaary

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226718/posts
Santa Barbara Tax Day Tea Party

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226619/posts
Officials Not Thrilled With Tea-Dumping Plan (Kiss My Arse and go to Heck!)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226566/posts
Some Tea Party Talking Points

[rovenstinez]

That FIRST Tea Party for sure didn’t have any permit.

[RobinOfKingston]

"All we did, in my opinion, by not giving them a special event permit was not give them the city's official approval, which would limit our liability if something went wrong," Notte said.

There ya go! Limited liability!

God save us from the Nottes of this world.

[Oldpuppymax]

Jolly good for these people!!! It’s very heartening to see that at least a few Americans still have some guts. A PERMIT!!! Unfrigginbelievable.

[cbkaty]

"I think it's a good idea to look at the permit and see if there are some additional requirements that we want to put in place, and also look and see if this is something we want to actually have in an ordinance to give it some basis of law other than just a policy," Allaire said Friday.

Does anyone see any "additional requirements" in the 1st Amendment to the Bill of Rights?

These people are hidious...

[abb]

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090411/NEWS01/904110345/1002/NEWS01
Some 500 Tea-time tax revolt protests planned nationwide

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/11/organizers-recipe-effective-tea-parties/
Organizers Give Recipes for Effective Tea Parties

http://unclewaltsrants.blogspot.com/2009/04/taxpayer-revolt.html
Taxpayer Revolt ...

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20090411/NEWS03/904110367/1004/NEWS03
Some 500 Tea-Time Tax Revolt protests planned nationwide

http://www.leftcoastrebel.com/2009/04/possible-tax-revolt-in-taxifornia.html
Possible Tax Revolt in Taxifornia?

[ChildOfThe60s]

Right on. Power to the people. Productive people.

[John123]

The rallies aren't meant to be divisive or partisan

yeah... I wonder how many of those obnoxious Cinco De Mayo rallies last year by the illegal immigrants were denied for not having the "right" permits...

[Logical me]

Obstructing the rights of free people to non violent protest is an act of violation of our first amendment rights. This might be the beginning of the revolution. It is coming and by the sick liberal RATS pushing will be the cause of a civil war yet. Majority of Americans have just about had it.

[mainestategop]

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

[Noumenon]

Tell those assclowns to read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. There’s your permit.

[abb]

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/tax-day-tea-party-planned-to-protest-government-spending-78505.html
Tax Day Tea Party planned to protest government spending

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090411/COMMUNITIES/90411003
Lafayette tea party? Not so fast, IDEM warns

http://www.leadercall.com/local/local_story_100230100.html
Tax Day protests in Mississippi Wednesday

http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2009/04/gop_tax_protest_in_flemington.html
GOP Tax Protest In Flemington

http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2009/apr/11/taxpayer_tea_party/
Taxpayer Tea Party

http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2009/apr/11/residents_hold_tea_party_protest_thursday/
Residents to hold ‘tea party’ protest Thursday

http://www.examiner.com/x-7422-Cobb-County-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m4d10-Huge-crowd-expected-for-Atlanta-Taxpayer-Tea-Party-more-speakers-announced
Huge crowd expected for Atlanta Taxpayer Tea Party, more speakers announced

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20090411/NEWS01/90411002
Conservatives plan TEA Party for Wednesday

[Bernard]

It occurs to me that most taxpayers work on Wedensday, so the turnout at these events will be lower than it would have been if April 15 was a Saturday or Sunday.

If wearing red on Friday is supposed to indicate support of American troops, what symbolic gesture should taxpayers who still have jobs use to indicate support of the Tea Parties?

[Bernard]

Some Saudi kings need to be bowed to. If you have a small government, you need small people to run it.