The ACLU of Massachusetts is pushing back against the City of Cambridge’s rule that event organizers have to pay for public safety services if they want permits for rallies and protests in city parks. They filed a lawsuit in Middlesex Superior Court to stop this practice, which they say discourages people from getting involved politically.
Back in fall 2017, Massachusetts Peace Action teamed up with others to plan a Women’s March in January 2018 at Cambridge Common. Even though they went through the permit process and paid all required fees ahead of time, less than two weeks before the march, they were told they might have to cover extra costs for police presence and emergency medical help.
After the event, the organizers got bills adding up to thousands of dollars just for police and EMT services. They also heard there could be more charges coming from nearby towns’ police departments. Over the next few months, both the organizers and the ACLU tried several times to work things out with Cambridge without going to court, but nothing came of it.
The lawsuit argues that making people pay for basic public safety at “expressive events and assemblies” held in public spaces goes against the First Amendment. It also violates free speech and assembly rights under Massachusetts law, basically acting like an illegal tax on speaking out and gathering.
