Organizers of the upcoming “No Kings” rally in Helena say that a new state rule banning permits for weekend rallies on the Capitol grounds violates their First Amendment rights. State officials countered that the new rule, quietly instituted just last month, was intended to save money.

The update to permitting guidelines on the Montana.gov site, which has not been previously reported, states that public events requiring a permit “may only occur on weekdays and between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., excluding holidays.”

The revisions apply to all state-owned or leased spaces or grounds at the Capitol Complex. The policy requires a permit for any public event that uses “state resources, requires setup of any structures, materials, displays, or requires clean-up.” A public event is defined as “any event that is open to the public and to which the public will have full access.”

  • minorkeys@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    If you don’t want to pay for the permitting costs or organizing public protest through a permit system then people get to publicly protest without getting permits. You don’t get to eliminated a constitutional right over a budget reduction. Like wtf, these leaders are a threat to basic rights.

  • leadore@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    All those people who keep telling us protesting is useless please explain why republicans in power keep trying to suppress protests. What are they scared of?

  • switcheroo@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Yeaaaah that ain’t gonna work. Protesting the government only when they allow it? Nah fuck all the way off with that.

    Stand up Montana! They are trying to stomp on your rights!

  • GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Just tell everyone to leave their signs at home, clean up after themselves, and walk the capitol grounds and/or the surrounding areas chanting/yelling phrases in unison. Hard to drown out the unified voices of 1,000 people. That way they don’t use state resources, and don’t set up any structures, materials, or displays.

  • cmbabul@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    I highly doubt my state will follow suit, but if they do I will go from thinking the NoKings deals are pressure release valves to keep folks under thumb to attending every one with bells on

  • foggy@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    The movie ran through me

    The glamour subdue me

    The tabloid untie me

    I’m empty please fill me

    Mister anchor assure me

    That Baghdad is burning

    Your voice it is so soothing

    That cunning mantra of killing

    I need you my witness

    To dress this up so bloodless

    To numb me and purge me now

    Of thoughts of blaming you

    Yes the car is our wheelchair

    My witness your coughing

    Oily silence mocks the legless

    Now traveling in coffins

    But on the corner

    The jury’s sleepless

    We found your weakness

    And it’s right outside our door

    Now testify

    With precision you feed me

    My witness I’m hungry

    Your temple it calms me

    So I can carry on

    My slaving sweating the skin right off my bones

    On a bed of fire I’m choking on the smoke that fills my home

    The wrecking ball rushing

    My witness your blushing

    The pipeline is gushing

    While here we lie in tombs

    While on the corner

    The jury’s sleepless

    We found your weakness

    And it’s right outside your door

    Now testify

    Mass graves for the pump and the price is set

    Who controls the past now controls the future

    Who controls the present now controls the past

    Who controls the past now controls the future

    Who controls the present now?

    Now testify

  • BassTurd@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Theron: It is the law, my lord. The Spartan army must not go to war.

    King Leonidas: Nor shall it. I’ve issued no such orders. I’m here, just taking a stroll, stretching my legs. These, uh, 300 men are my personal bodyguard.

    • nymnympseudonym@piefed.social
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      7 days ago

      I have been the person on multiple occasions who goes to the State Capitol and the City Police and puts his name on the documents that says we’re going to have a large gathering please give us a permit.

      It’s a reasonable thing to require, when they’re being reasonable – for example, the city might want the big Pro-Racism rally to be on a different day than the Armed Antifa rally.

      But if they’re obviously doing it Because They Can:

      1. You get lawyers and start filing motions
      2. Average people can always show up, local laws apply but it will be hard to stop random people from, eg, walking around the block on a public sidewalk
      3. Local officials will escalate and further violate peoples’ rights. Make sure people know to keep calm, and record everything for the judge to view later .
      • grue@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Frankly, I think the very first time any government started to demand a “permit” or designate a “free speech zone,” it should’ve triggered massive protests that were pointedly unpermitted and outside the zone.

        Your job should not exist, as a matter of principle.

    • LillyPip@lemmy.ca
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      7 days ago

      That’s literally the point of these protests.

      We won’t listen to their authoritarianism.

      Obviously they won’t sanction your protests. Like that should matter. If Nazis say they don’t want opposition, are you just going to say okay, we won’t protest without a permit?

      That’s insane.

      • 🌞 Alexander Daychilde 🌞@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        We will not have change without enough people realzing that enough other people are willing to stand up for that change.

        Online discussion is the foundation for protests, and protests are the foundation for change. We need to build on those. They are useful for those reasons, but people are correct that they themselves will not effect the change we need.

  • Asafum@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    “may only occur on weekdays and between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., excluding holidays. when you have to be at work.”

    • foggy@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Lol so… Everyone in the restaurant industry unite and lead this shit.

      Yalls weekend is Monday Tuesday, and your days start at 3pm.

      Ezpz.

      • otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        7 days ago

        Yalls weekend is Monday Tuesday

        Is it now? I’ve been in the industry for decades and across multiple countries, and while days off’re hardly ever on the weekend, they’re even less likely to be consecutive (unless you’re mgmt, or fucking someone who is). 😅🤷🏽‍♂️🤌🏼

        • foggy@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          Restaurant industry grind is Thursday through Sunday and 3-10ish unless you’re bar, then it’s later. Earlier for brunch on sat and sun.

          Monday Tuesday is usually owners and managers doing inventory and orders. Wednesday is for the new folks.

          Pretty much everywhere.

            • foggy@lemmy.world
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              7 days ago

              … Yes but you for some reason said that Monday Tuesday isn’t the weekend for restaurant industry.

              Which is not aligned with everything you just agreed with so I’m not sure what we’re doing here.

    • brygphilomena@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      7 days ago

      That’s what I got out of this. Only when the majority of people wouldn’t be able to easily attend.

      It’s suppression, no doubt about it. And the “requires cleanup” provision can apply to anything. Hell, one person who litters "requires cleanup.’