Wednesday, December 20, 2023–9:33 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Rome’s Public Safety Committee will revisit an assembly ordinance in 2024.
A draft ordinance presented to the committee in September states that a permit would still be required if a demonstration, protest, or other type of public assembly has 25 or more participants. Fewer than 25 would not need a permit, with some exceptions. Those cases would if the demonstration occurs on pinch-point kinds of places such as streets, sidewalks, trails, or where ingress or egress to public facilities would be blocked.
Attorneys for the city looked at Georgia law, and federal law to make sure the proposed ordinance was compliant.
“The assembly ordinance that we presented last time, it would be appropriate, I think, for the city commission to adopt that,” said Assistant City Attorney Frank Beacham during Tuesday’s Public Safety Committee meeting.
Another component of the draft ordinance is a spontaneous event exception. Under the current permitting process, someone applies and the chief of police has four days to decide on whether or not to issue a permit. That process has been problematic for some cities. Under the draft ordinance presented in September, a spontaneous event, which is occasioned by news or affairs coming into public knowledge less than four days before such event, may be conducted on the city hall lawn or grounds without the organizers first having to obtain an assembly permit.
“We can dust it off, bring it back to the committee next year, and make sure everyone is comfortable with it,” said Rome City Manager Sammy Rich.
The discussion regarding the issuance of permits for demonstrations began in June when four members of a local Republican splinter group were arrested while protesting Rome’s Rome’s LGBTQ+ Pride events. Police stated that the group was not only demonstrating without a permit, but they also refused to disperse when asked to do so by an officer.
During the July 10 Rome City Commission meeting, Commissioner Mark Cochran asked for guidance from the city attorney’s office.
The draft ordinance also includes definitions of public and recreational property, since that is where most protests occur.
