New proposed rules from the National Park Service would make it substantially harder to hold rallies, demonstrations or protests in Washington and specifically on the streets and sidewalks surrounding the White House.
Among the changes suggested are a prohibition on 80% of the public area outside the White House, including Lafayette Park, a traditional site for protests for more than a hundred and fifty years. The NPS also proposes charging event organizers for the costs of monitoring and interfering with their protests, including charging enhanced fees for barricades and surveillance and changing the permitting process to not require an answer until as little as 40 days beforehand, making it very difficult to organize large nationwide protests.
The comment period closes on Monday October 15th at 11:59PM EST, so there is still time to make your voice heard here.
The First Amendment requires the government to permit us to petition to redress our grievances and for no undue burdens be placed on us to prevent that. These proposed regulations fail the test.
Here are our comments (jointly signed with Oakland Privacy).
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No. This violates the first Amendment. So long as we are peaceful, no undue burden may be placed to prevent us from petitioning our government. This right is as old as the Magna Carta. Having to look at us and hear us goes with the job of president. If you don’t want protestors, don’t run for the job of President.
Its our White house , our property , NO WAY AM I OR ANY OTHER FOR THIS !!!!!!
no. we must have freedom on speech
The first amendment was listed first on the bill of rights for a reason …
This is an issue about freedom of speech which is guaranteed in the first amendment!
If I wanted to live in Russia or China, I’d move there!
Amendment l is at the top for a reason!
This is OURS, it belongs to We The People,
HANDS OFF!
IT us our absolute right to protest if we choose to do so!
Freedom of Speech shall not be halted by an administration greatly influenced by a foreign power… what’s wrong with you?
No. This violates the first Amendment. So long as we are peaceful, no undue burden may be placed to prevent us from petitioning our government. This right is as old as the Magna Carta. Having to look at us and hear us goes with the job of president. If you don’t want protestors, don’t run for the job of President.
This Administration is trying to take away our rights and establish a dictatorship! We will not tolerate this. Trump doesn’t obey our laws and he doesn’t conduct himself as a respresentative of all Americans. He must be impeached.
The area outside the White House, including Lafayette Park is and should remain open for those who wish to make statements to policy makers at the WhiteHouse. These are public properties, owned by the people of the United States and are not the private domains of the wealthy or high and mighty who are rightly the employees of the citizens. They may not wish to listen or see minority or even majority opinions, but this place should remain open as a place where the low and powerless can be seen and heard by public officials.
This is an issue of freedom of speech and right to gather guaranteed by Constitution. These proposed rules are not acceptable.