ACLU Sues Minneapolis Over All-Star Game Ordinance
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Organizers of a one-day street festival in Minneapolis sued the city Thursday, saying an ordinance that limits events around the time of Major League Baseball's All-Star game in July is unconstitutional.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, claims the city ordinance gives MLB the authority to approve activities in certain areas for 15 days surrounding the July 15 All-Star game.
Organizers of the One Day in July Street Festival, which will commemorate the 80th anniversary of a deadly Teamsters strike in 1934, say MLB shouldn't have control over their event.
"It is an insult to me, and to all Americans, that before exercising my First Amendment right to speak and assemble I must first get permission from a private company," event organizer Jim McGuire said in a statement. "It is ironic that in trying to commemorate a horrific violation of our rights in the past, we are now facing further violations."
The ordinance, adopted Feb. 21, says the city won't issue permits or event licenses between July 5 and July 20 in a geographic area that includes all of downtown Minneapolis without additional approval from MLB. The purpose of the ordinance, according to the resolution, is to keep the focus of the All-Star game on baseball and "to prevent ambush marketing activity and other activities with the potential to distract from the event."
City spokesman Casper Hill said these types of zones are typical, and a requirement for cities to host the All-Star game. He said Minneapolis has created similar zones for past sporting events, such as the NFL's Super Bowl.
The lawsuit seeks a court order that would declare the ordinance unconstitutional and bar the city from enforcing it. ACLU attorney Tom Hamlin said the lawsuit is not aimed at shutting down the game itself.
Hill said Thursday city officials were checking to see if they had received the lawsuit. It names the city, the mayor and the police chief as defendants.
The lawsuit claims the ordinance violates the First Amendment for several reasons. Among them: the resolution is too broad, it imposes a content-based, viewpoint-discriminatory prior restraint on speech and it gives MLB unbridled discretion over speech-related permits.
The lawsuit also says the ordinance has had a chilling effect because organizers fear arrest, and they are considering canceling the festival, planned for July 19.
"Plaintiffs do not wish to subject their speech and expressive activities to Major League Baseball's review and approval," the lawsuit states.
In 1934, Minneapolis police shot 67 striking truckers, killing two. The festival, which is also meant to honor the right to organize, would include signs, banners, street merchandise, food service, parade, speeches and live music. Similar festivals were held in 2004 and 2009.
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