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LAPD board denies permit for immigration rally, citing safety


ASSOCIATED PRESS

10:20 p.m. February 13, 2007

LOS ANGELES – The Police Commission has denied a request to hold an immigrant rights rally Feb. 24, sparking outrage by the event organizer who alleged the decision infringed on his free speech rights.
The commission on Tuesday raised public safety concerns because the rally would coincide with an annual Chinese New Year parade, which is expected to attract 150,000 people to downtown on the same day.

Allowing both large events would create a “diversion that would jeopardize the level of police service to other areas of the city,” police Capt. Kevin McCarthy said.

Commissioners suggested the rally could move to Feb. 25.

Juan Jose Gutierrez of Full Rights for Immigrants disagreed, saying the decision prevented his group “from exercising our constitutional rights to express ourselves on that day.”

He said a Feb. 24 rally has been heavily publicized since December in the Spanish-language media and 50,000 fliers have been distributed. The rally was organized to bring attention to concerns about recent immigration sweeps, he said.

Police said parade organizers submitted their application a week before the immigrants' group applied for their permit.

Commission President John Mack said the decision to reject the request was based on law, not ideology.