Time Magazine advises its readers about demonstration rules US style
SIDEWALK MARCHES AND PICKETING are constitutionally protected from most interference by public officials, although several cities demand permits and Illinois law bars picketing in front of private residences. Marchers' legal protection probably applies to most privately owned thoroughfares that are used regularly by the public, such as the paths and parking lots of shopping centers. Peaceful participants can march as far as they like, stretch out the line of march, chant, and even subject pedestrians to minor inconveniences without being penalized. Pickets who remain standing instead of walking cannot be arrested for refusing to obey police orders to keep moving, unless the police have reason to believe that the demonstrators are blocking traffic or preventing pedestrians from normal movement.
STREET PARADES require permits virtually everywhere, as do activities in most parks and the use of sound equipment. Though permission may not be denied arbitrarily, standards of reasonableness are still in flux. Chicago reacted to the 1968 Democratic Convention riots by enacting a new law requiring the city to grant or deny permits within two days after applications are filed. The New York Civil Liberties Union wryly advises: "It may be well to apply for such a permit. If you don't get it, you will then have better defense if you are arrested."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,876697,00.html-----------------------------------------------------------
Minneapolis considering a regulation:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/03/mplsprotestpermits/"Members of the Minneapolis city council are at odds over a proposal to regulate public demonstrations. The creators of the law say it will help the city handle the multiple protests likely during the Republican National Convention in September. Opponents say it places unneccessary restrictions on the first amendment rights of protestors."
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Iranian Americans have problems in Chicago
"Iranian-American demonstrators said they had difficulty getting a permit for a planned protest Tuesday, but they ultimately received one, and a protest will go ahead. The demonstration over the Iranian elections is set for 4:30 p.m. in Federal Plaza, said organizer Farnaz Abdollahi.
On Monday, organizers told CBS 2 they were refused permits when they went to City Hall. They said they were not given a specific reason for why the permits were rejected. On Monday, Mayor Daley's press secretary Jackie Heard said the group hadn't approached the city about a permit. But Abdollahi said while there was difficulty in getting the permits, the group ultimately received them."
"http://cbs2chicago.com/local/iran.protest.permit.2.1046240.html
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And in the heartland of Bush country, Texas, University Students apparently march in anti war protest without a permit
"A group of about 30 people met Sunday evening on the UNT Denton campus holding flags and signs for “Funk the War,” a peace march and fundraiser led by the UNT Campus Anti-War Network. The march marked the seventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Our goal out here today is to bring other people who want to actively resist this occupation together, because the only way we’re going to end these occupations is not to appeal to the power structure, not by appealing to the president, or Congress, or the Senators, or to the corporations who are profiting off this war,” said UNT senior Garrett Graham. “The only way we can stop these occupations now and in the future is to change our society fundamentally.”
The people who came to participate in the protest were diverse and included a large number of college students, bongo players, a 9-year-old boy, his 51-year-old mother, an Iraq War veteran and a man in a bunny suit. Despite their many differences, they all had one thing in common: They want the U.S. troops back home and the conflicts to end. The more-than-a-mile march officially started at 7 p.m. As the night went on, the crowd began to multiply and chant anti-war sayings. Onlookers honked and cheered as the protesters passed."
http://www.ntdaily.com/?p=7936