Federal Govt. Might Ask Protesters To Repay Security Costs of Demonstrations
As increasingly large and frequent protests have flooded Washington, D.C.'s streets in recent years, federal officials have searched for ways to offset the cost of supporting such demonstrations. Washington Post, Sept. 29, 2019.
The National Park Service last year floated a proposal that would alter protest regulations and require organizers to repay the federal government for the security costs. Earlier this month, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) announced he was crafting legislation to hold protesters arrested during unpermitted demonstrations liable for police overtime and other fees related to the action.
Putting organizers on the hook for the costs of policing could mean invoices in the tens of thousands of dollars, according to U.S. Park Police budgets obtained by The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act. Thats enough to price most activists out of protesting altogether, according to experts and activists awaiting a decision from the Park Service.
If someone called me to say I want to have a protest and I said, Cool, the Park Service is going to charge you $150,000 for security, they would hang up the phone, said Samantha Miller, an organizer with D.C. Action Lab, a company that helps out-of-towners plan and organize demonstrations in Washington. There are already a lot of preexisting fees that organizers get asked to pay. Add in something like a security fee, and theres just no way most people or organizations would be able to afford it.
To obtain a permit for a protest in the District, organizers typically are required to provide a number of amenities to demonstrators, most of which cost money, Miller said. They include, but are not limited to, toilets, medical tents, cooling stations for hot days and audiovisual equipment for large demonstrations.
For a protest like the Peoples Climate March a rally in which tens of thousands of people marched from the Capitol to the White House groups already can expect to stare down a budget of more than $100,000, Miller said. You already need to have a certain amount of access to funds to try to get a permit for a certain size protest, Miller said. Thats already a huge burden. ...
More, http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-government-might-ask-activists-to-repay-the-costs-of-securing-protests-experts-say-it-could-price-them-out/ar-AAHZnQh?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,741 posts)Which part of "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" don't they understand?
appalachiablue
(41,146 posts)end mass demonstrations for sure.
RockRaven
(14,974 posts)That is NOT the protestors fault or responsibility. They have the right "peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
If the government wants to levy fines against parties whose actions are not peaceable, that is a totally separate and potentially legitimate matter. But that would occur AFTER the fact, in specific cases, in accordance with laws against the un-peaceable behavior in question. Prospectively fining everyone exercising their rights, across the board, for the government's heavy-handed response to Constitutionally protected behavior? FUCK OFF.
GemDigger
(4,305 posts)then why should we the people.
raccoon
(31,111 posts)Delmette2.0
(4,167 posts)Has any one ever tallied up how much his campaigns have cost local law enforcements across our country?
GemDigger
(4,305 posts)Delmette2.0
(4,167 posts)amb123
(1,581 posts)Also called The STFU Law. A clear violation of the First Amendment.
Buzz cook
(2,472 posts)I'll consider it and still say fuck no.