SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE DENIAL OF PERMITS FOR THE MARCH ON THE RNC

I am writing to you to alert you to an urgent situation in Milwaukee, where the city government has been denying permits for a peaceful march, the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024, and have imposed restricted free speech zones. These efforts to ban protesters from being seen or heard are unconstitutional; plain and simple. We must protect public safety without sacrificing our civil rights. We must have security that is transparent and not overly onerous upon the right to protest and to free speech. These restrictions have been used historically to shut down important social justice movements, and it is crucial for us to learn from history to save the future of free speech. This is not a partisan issue, it is a basic principle that should hold true for any political context. Both the manner and the ruling in Milwaukee could provide a dangerous model that extends well beyond its borders, reinforcing the importance of national responses in the face of these threats to essential rights. In addition, demonstrations like this one have played an important role in a democracy, bringing important issues to light and fostering social development, leading to economic and social benefits. All public officials bear a legal and moral responsibility to respect the constitutional rights of every citizen and make sure community voice and the power of the grassroots can not be encumbered in the shaping of public policy. The lack of clarity and responsibility in the decisions of Milwaukee local government is alarming. To restore public trust it has to be done transparently and it is plain to see this is not happening. To crack down on peaceful protest represents a move toward the despotic and it is important to guard against that to avoid this further and long-term creeping attack on our freedoms. I ask you to speak out against this behavior and to back legislative protections of the rights to assemble peacefully and to voice disagreement. Your leadership is more essential than ever to protect our constitutional rights and to maintain the values this great nation has stood for as a beacon for democracy.