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Judicial Watch Sues DC Mayor To Paint Their Own Message On City Streets
Alinsky the heck out o’them, guys — make them live up to their own rules.
[HotAir] Back at the beginning of June, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser took it upon herself to rename a public street “Black Lives Matter Plaza” and ordered those three words to be painted in huge yellow letters spanning two blocks of 16th Street NW. This was an obvious sop to the protesters and rioters who have been filling the streets of most major cities for quite some time now, as well as an opportunity to score a few quick headlines in her ongoing PR battle with Donald Trump. But in doing so, she also established a precedent of sorts. Public streets in the nation’s capital that are maintained using taxpayer funds were now apparently legitimate fora for the expression of political opinions.

Taking that signal to heart, Judicial Watch decided to get in on the action themselves. They sent in a request to paint another street in the same area with their own slogan. Strangely, despite multiple attempts to prompt a response from the Mayor, they were unable to obtain permission to do the same thing she had done. Seeing no other recourse, the group is now taking the Mayor to court to ensure their own right to free expression under the First Amendment.

Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a civil rights lawsuit against DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials for First Amendment violations over their refusal to allow Judicial Watch to paint the message “Because No One Is Above the Law!” on a DC street. (Judicial Watch. v. Muriel Bowser, et al. (No. 1:20-cv-01789)).

On June 5, 2020, after days of protests and riots in Washington, DC, led by the Black Lives Matter organization, Mayor Bowser authorized the painting of “Black Lives Matter” on 16th Street NW, and later authorized or allowed “Defund the Police” to be painted alongside it.

The group sent a letter requesting permission to paint “Because No One is Above the Law!” in the identical size and coloring of the “Black Lives Matter” painting on another DC street near its headquarters near Capitol Hill. Judicial Watch offered to pay for the cost of the painting and, citing the timely nature of the issue, asked for a response in three days.

This process isn’t going to be confined to the District of Columbia. Never one to miss an opportunity to jump on the liberal bandwagon, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio similarly announced this week that huge “Black Lives Matter” statements would be painted on streets in all five boroughs of Gotham. In response, Judicial Watch has already sent a letter to Hizzoner requesting permission to paint their motto on Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets. There’s been no word yet as to whether or not the Mayor will comply.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2020-07-02
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=575899