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Georgia: Deposit Required for Public Demonstrations
EFL - check the link, as I left out some of the fine details.

The coastal city of Brunswick [GA]
 passed a law last month that places conditions on public demonstrations.

Organizers of protests
 must put up refundable deposits equal to the city’s estimated cost for clean up and police protection. Demonstrations may only last 2 hours, 30 minutes. Signs and banners may not be carried on sticks that might be brandished as weapons. And the signs may not be larger than 2-by-3 feet.

Sweet.

One public demonstration organizer sez: "It makes it impossible to express oneself through assembly or speech on public property unless you have money."

No, it forces you to be responsible enough to pay a deposit to cover potential “public” expenses.

Brunswick, Savannah and surrounding counties have passed ordinances governing protest permits. The American Civil Liberties Union has threatened to sue, saying the laws "place impermissible limits on free speech."

You can say whatever you want, but it is NOT the duty of the taxpayer to pay for police protection and damage to “public” property.

Asshats Observers say the cities’ actions fit a national pattern of managing dissent with beefed up laws and police powers that constrict constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and assembly.

The new laws are a response to the violent protests during the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

I don’t know about THIS angle, but I am 100% for the concept of the protestors paying deposits (i.e. renting) public property for their demonstrations. There is nothing here that says they can’t be backed by private individuals instead (that is, if they can find any willing to pony up the dough for idiotarian conventions the protests.
Posted by: Unmutual 2004-04-19
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=30930