This Saturday’s May Day Parade is experiencing some controversy. Although the parade is not going through Oregon Hill, it was endorsed by the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association at the March meeting, and there are related workshops scheduled for this Friday at the William Byrd Community House on Cherry Street (see workshop schedule after press release).
Press release:
A coalition of local activist groups plans to hold a parade in Richmond this Saturday, May 1, to commemorate May Day. On March 16, 2010, Fellow Worker
Kenneth Yates, one of the event organizers, submitted a parade permit
application to Sgt. Selander of the RPD Special Events Division. According
to the relevant city ordinance (Chapter 102, Article X of the City Code,
pertaining to Assemblies, Demonstrations, and Parades), the police should
have responded within five days. Instead, nearly a month went. On April 14,
Sgt. Selander informed Mr. Yates that, in order to receive a parade permit,
his group would have to pay for two off-duty police officers. According to
Attorney Rebecca K. Glenberg of the Virginia ACLU, who has been in touch
with both Mr. Yates and Sgt. Selander on this matter, the city code does not
include any authority for the police to impose such a requirement.*PLEASE NOTE: * whether things work out or not, the rally and parade will
still happen. It will just have to happen on the sidewalks and not the
streets. We do have a permit for both the rally and the sidewalks.Sign the letter here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/free_speech_for_richmonds_may_dayDear Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood:
I am writing to protest the fact that the Richmond Police Department is
attempting to deny a parade permit to organizers of a Richmond May Day
Parade planned for this coming Saturday, first by failing to respond to the
organizers‚ permit application within the time limit imposed by city law,
and second by demanding that the organizers first agree to hire two off-duty
police officers, a requirement not included in the relevant city ordinance.
I urge the City of Richmond to do the right thing, respect the First
Amendment right to peacefully assemble and immediately grant the parade
permit.Sincerely,
Cc:
The New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, Richmond Free Press,
Richmond Voice The Virginia Defender, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Style Weekly,
WRIR, Richmond-area Clear Channel radio stations, WTVR Channel 6, WRIC
Channel 8, NBC Channel 12, May Day 2010 Richmond Organizing Committee
Here is the workshop schedule for this Friday (to get more details on individual workshops, click here):
5:30pm – 6:00pm “STOP MEANS STOP!” | The Active Hand Ministry
6:00pm – 7:00pm “VCU Students For Social Action” | VCU Students for Social Action
6:00pm – 7:00pm “Restoration of Voting Rights” | Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged
7:00pm – 9:00pm “Conflict Resolution for Activists” | Richmond Peace & Education Center
7:00pm – 9:00pm “Reproductive Justice & Prison Abolition” | Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project
9:00pm – 10:00pm “One City, One Community.” | RePHRAME
received this email:
Good News! Due to the success of an action taken by hundreds of activists in solidarity with Richmond May Day 2010 through a 24 hour letter writing campaign, with over 350 signatures, targeting Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood (Richmond City Chief of Police) and Mayor Dwight C. Jones (Richmond City Mayor) we were granted a permit allowing the use of the street to march.
The letter was concerning their requirement that organizers be responsible for the hiring of off duty police officers, an infringement on our First Amendment Right to free speech and freedom of assembly. Without all of your diligent solidarity and action including the experience and advising efforts of the Virginia ACLU and Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, we have avoided a potentially dangerous situation. The city has granted two police vehicles at no cost to the organizers as an escort to Richmond May Day Parade 2010.
We still plan to work closely with the ACLU from this point forward to insure that anyone else who wishes to exercise their First Amendment Rights may do so without the deterrent of any government ordinance requiring payment to do so.
In Solidarity,
Richmond May Day Organizing Committee 2010
http://maydayrva.org