By Marty Gordon
Incidents like what happened last year in Charlottesville, confrontations between protesters and a car driving into a crowd killing one person, has forced many Virginia localities to approve measures to control the large number of people and how they assemble.
Tuesday night, Christiansburg town council heard public comments on their own proposed ordinance.
A small group of protesters stood to the side during the meeting, holding signs the policy would hurt individual freedoms.
Lisa Lucas Gardner cited First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution. She provided a copy to each council member. “Any time government puts restrictions on your rights, then its suspicious. Localities have no right to impose restrictions on public assembly,” she said.
Marie March, a local business woman, opposed the ordinance and said it would restrict free speech.
Chris Waltz told council he was concerned how the policy would affect individual rights
The new ordinance is broken down into two sections: 1) Parades and festivals and 2) picketing and demonstrations.
Major Chris Ramsey with the Christiansburg Police Department provided an overview of the proposed amendment at an earlier meeting. He said the amendment would simply codify current town policy in regards to special events and outdoor assemblies. He said the purpose was not prohibit assemblies but to protect the safety and welfare of the community.
Mayor Michael Barber pointed out after the discussion that council in no way wants to hinder individual rights.
The ordinance has a clause that says: the ordinance is intended to protect the rights of persons and groups to organize and participate in peaceful assemblies to express their political, social, religious, or other views on streets, sidewalks parks and other public lands.
Under the plan, events for which a permit is required include: parades, processions, marathons, bicycle races, motion picture/video/broadcast involving the staging of vehicles, equipment and/or props.
The permit shall be granted by the town manager and can include a permit fee of: $150 for festival, $25 for parades, race or marches that might include temporary street closure, and $75 for a possible motion picture staging.
The term picketing is defined as: demonstrators, persons participating in vigils and/or any action promoting or objecting to a policy that might be using “public ways or parks.”
A group of fewer than 10 persons may give written of notice to picket but not is not required to do so. A group of 10-24 would be required to provide a written of notice.
Again, a picketing permit of $25 would be required. The new ordinance is similar to one recently approved in Blacksburg.
The group of protesters received a small victory when council agreed to discuss the matter further at a work session next week. Council woman Merrisa Sachs expressed concern over the amount of fees listed in the ordinance, and the group agreed to discuss them next week.
A vote could come at the governmental body’s first meeting in March. No public comment will be allowed at that vote.