Home : Free Speech : Right to Protest

NYCLU Post-RNC Report Says City Must Change Protest Policies (08/30/2005)
NEW YORK -- One year to the day after the opening of the Republican National Convention in New York, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued a report reviewing police practices and proposing a range of recommendations.

Following ACLU Action, Northern California High School Students Win First Amendment Victory (07/14/2005)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California announced today that a student group at Deer Valley High School has won the right to hold a peace rally in the fall. The Antioch Unified School District agreed to allow the rally to continue after the ACLU of Northern California intervened on behalf of the students.

Pennsylvania County Settles ACLU Lawsuit Brought on Behalf of Political Protesters (06/27/2005)
LANCASTER, PA -- In a victory for free speech and protest rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania today announced that the East Lampeter Township and a group of Lancaster County political activists have agreed to settle their civil lawsuit stemming from the activists' arrests during a campaign visit by President Bush last July.

ACLU of Florida Calls on Sheriff to Safeguard First Amendment Rights of Brevard Residents (06/15/2005)
MELBOURNE, FL -- In a memorandum sent today to Brevard County Sheriff Jack Parker, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida's Brevard Chapter called for additional training and reforms to prevent a recurrence of political surveillance practices that took place from 2002 to 2005.

ACLU of Massachusetts Condemns Arrest of Peaceful Protesters and Use of Free Speech "Pen" During Army Event (06/14/2005)
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts condemned the arrests today of peaceful protesters by police officers during an event on the Cambridge Common to mark the founding of the United States Army. The ACLU also criticized the police for forcing people to move into a ""pen"" if they were expressing views critical of U.S. policies.

ACLU Criticizes Pennsylvania Eco-Terrorism Legislation as Part of Government's Crackdown on Political Dissent (06/06/2005)
PHILADELPHIA -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania today criticized eco-terrorism legislation that is before the state General Assembly, calling it a threat to the First Amendment rights of all Pennsylvanians who wish to express their views on matters of public policy.

After ACLU Intervention, Free Speech Upheld in Florida Parks (06/01/2005)
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- The Broward County Parks and Recreation Division has reaffirmed its commitment to freedom of expression, especially the right of all people to speak about politics, after the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida's Broward Chapter announced today. The chapter had intervened on behalf of two anti-war protesters who were barred from distributing fliers at Easterlin Park, located in the city of Oakland Park.

Appeals Court Finds Government May Have Violated Rights of WTO Protesters in Seattle (06/01/2005)
SEATTLE -- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled that even in times of unrest, the government cannot arrest protesters simply because of the content of their message. The ruling came in the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington's lawsuit challenging the city of Seattle's establishment and enforcement of a No Protest Zone during the meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1999.

NYCLU Hails Introduction of Civil Rights Legislation to End Unlawful NYPD Detention Practice (05/24/2005)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union today called on the City Council to pass landmark civil rights legislation that will be introduced tomorrow. Known as the ""Charge or Release"" bill and introduced by Council Member Bill Perkins, it would mandate that individuals arrested in New York City are arraigned within 24 hours of arrest.

ACLU and Rights Groups Challenge Ft. Lauderdale "No-Protest" Zone During June OAS Meeting (05/20/2005)
FT LAUDERDALE -- The Broward Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, the National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Committee and Southern Legal Counsel today filed a lawsuit challenging a ""no-protest"" zone and other restrictions limiting free speech during upcoming protests at the Organization of American States ministerial meetings in Ft. Lauderdale.

New York Civil Liberties Union Threatens Lawsuit Over City's "Misguided" Ban on Central Park Protests (05/18/2005)
NEW YORK -- The New York Civil Liberties Union today testified that the proposed Parks & Recreation regulation to restrict protest activity on the Great Lawn in Central Park, ostensibly to protect the grass, is misguided and unconstitutional and threatened to sue if the proposal is adopted. The NYCLU said in testimony before the Parks & Recreation Committee of the City Council that the proposed protest ban which restricts the number of non-city approved events to just two per year, neither of which can exceed 50,000 people, amounts to a violation of the rights of protesters.

ACLU Applauds New D.C. Law Protecting Protest Rights (05/02/2005)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area today welcomed a new law approved by the D.C. City Council that strengthens the First Amendment rights of peaceful protesters, and limits police use of ""protest pens"" and mass arrests. The law takes effect on the eve of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings and the demonstrations that traditionally accompany them, which have led to police-protester confrontations in recent years.

Federal Appeals Court to Hear Two ACLU of Michigan Cases This Week (04/19/2005)
DETROIT -- An appeals court will hear two cases this week that were filed by the ACLU of Michigan. In the first case, the ACLU is arguing on behalf of the plaintiffs in a racial profiling lawsuit known as ""Bicycling While Black;"" the second case is a challenge to a city ordinance that makes it a crime to engage in a public protest unless a permit is obtained at least 30 days before the event.

ACLU of Arizona to Provide Legal Observers During Controversial "Minuteman" Border Watch Program (03/30/2005)
PHOENIX -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, in its traditional role as a guardian of civil liberties, announced today that it will be providing legal observers throughout the month of April at the site of the Minuteman Project at the Arizona-Mexico Border.

ACLU Demands that Florida Police Turn Over 'Spy Files' on Local Protesters (03/21/2005)
MELBOURNE, FL - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and six protesters targeted as ""persons of interest"" by local police today filed public records requests demanding that the Melbourne Police Department and Brevard County Sheriff Office turn over surveillance files kept on demonstrators who attended a counter inaugural protest earlier this year.

Federal Court Rules Indiana Protester's Rights Violated During Cheney Visit (03/17/2005)
EVANSVILLE, IN-In a victory for free speech rights and the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, a federal judge ruled today that Evansville police violated a protester's constitutional rights by restricting his movement and arresting him for disorderly conduct before a 2002 appearance by Vice President Dick Cheney.

NYCLU Sues City Over Arrest of RNC Protester (02/15/2005)
NEW YORK-- The New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit in federal court charging that the Police Department violated the civil rights of a woman who was arrested for a lawful, solo protest during the Republican National Convention last summer while dressed in a make-shift costume as a Hummer vehicle.

Judge Rules Indianapolis Police Violated Protesters' First Amendment Rights (02/09/2005)
INDIANAPOLIS -- In a lawsuit filed by the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, a federal district judge today ruled that the Indianapolis Police Department violated protesters' First Amendment rights by keeping them off of city sidewalks during a demonstration in 2003.

Following ACLU Action, University of California Ends Ban on Political Protest Abroad (01/25/2005)
LOS ANGELES - Under pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, the University of California announced that it will no longer tell students studying abroad that they are prevented from participating in political demonstrations, the ACLU said today.

D.C. Officials Pay $425,000 to Seven People Falsely Arrested at 2002 World Bank Demonstration (01/24/2005)
WASHINGTON - In a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and legal advocates, the District of Columbia today agreed to pay $425,000 to seven people who were arrested at an anti-World Bank demonstration in Pershing Park in September 2002, and to expunge all records of their arrest and detention. In papers filed in federal court, the District also agreed to make numerous reforms in its policies for handling mass demonstrations, and D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey agreed to personally sign a letter of apology to each of the seven arrestees.