| New york rejects central park protest Original Source Link: (May no longer be active) http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5672568http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5672568
New York Rejects Central Park for Convention March Wed Jul 14, 2004 06:40 PM ET
By Christine Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's police commissioner on Wednesday told organizers planning a major protest march at next month's Republican convention to stage it on a route designated by the city or take the matter to court.
The group, United for Peace and Justice, wants demonstrators protesting the policies of President Bush to be able to march on a 2-mile route past the convention site at Madison Square Garden arena into Central Park in midtown Manhattan on Aug. 29, the second day of the convention.
The convention will nominate Bush for a second term.
City officials say the protest, which organizers expect to attract 250,000 people, would damage the park, which had a recent $18 million face lift. Police say the proposed route would cause traffic and security problems. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told a news conference a "reasonable alternative" had been offered for the march to proceed on Manhattan's West Side Highway, about a mile from the arena.
"This is the best place to accommodate such large numbers and allows for a massive demonstration without crippling the rest of the city," he said.
After four months of negotiations, he said that was the city's "final offer" and the group would have to challenge the decision in court.
Bill Dobbs, a spokesman for United for Peace and Justice, said the group was undecided about going to court.
"This is an act in bad faith that poisons the atmosphere of negotiations," said Dobbs, adding Central Park should be able to accommodate the protest.
"In the past it has handled the most high-profile events, and because Manhattan is so dense, the park serves a constitutional function in enabling people to assemble."
Kelly said protest permits had been granted to 14 other organizations to demonstrate during the convention against Bush administration policies on issues from the war in Iraq to gun control and abortion rights.
Donna Lieberman, head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the "hard inflexible line" taken by the police on the major march was "disappointing."
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