PROTEST V. POLICE

Is It Red Tape Or Homophobia That Killed A Mississippi Gay March?

A small gay march of 50 or so LGBT protesters was a no-go yesterday in Jackson, the capital of Mississippi.

Says GetEqual.com, which is biased toward the side of the protestors:

Despite having applied for a permit for a march in the city to highlight LGBT discrimination, organizers were informed shortly before the event that their permit had been denied and they had no right to rally in the city.

The primary organizer of the march, Bob Gilchrist, had organized the event on Facebook, and was expecting a large crowd for the march. The permit was denied even though event organizers were finalizing details to secure required liability insurance. When informed by police that the permit had been denied, those assembled for the march quickly changed plans under the threat of arrest if they were to proceed.

But according to the Clarion-Ledger, who spoke with the authorities, police were not uncooperative:

Sgt. James McGowan said Gilchrist failed to secure liability insurance or any documentation to release the city from liability.

“We tried to work with them as much as we could,” McGowan said.

If the proper permit procedure had been completed, “we would have given them an escort to the Capitol,” he said.

Well, there’s a game of chicken-and-egg (protester-and-police?) if we ever saw one. In any case, tiny little gay marches and gay commitment ceremonies on state grounds: hard to do in Mississippi.

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