$100K Settlement Ends Lawsuit Over Inner Harbor Protests
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore officials have approved a nearly $100,000 settlement ending a lawsuit over Inner Harbor demonstrations.
The Daily Record of Baltimore reports the lawsuit was filed in 2003 after Women in Black-Baltimore said its free speech rights were violated when it was forced off McKeldin Square during an Iraq war demonstration.
The settlement pays attorneys' fees for the ACLU of Maryland, which represented the group, and is part of a consent decree that allows protests in new areas of the Inner Harbor.
Also under the decree, demonstrations of less than 30 people in any city park now don't require a permit.
Applications for larger demonstrations now must be submitted at least two days in advance, not the 30 days previously required. That requirement can also sometimes be waived.
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