Trump Administration Seeks to Stifle Protests Near White House and on National Mall

[mahatmakanejeeves]

21. From the press release:

Now, the Trump administration proposes to dramatically limit the right to demonstrate near the White House and on the National Mall, including in ways that would violate court orders that have stood for decades. The proposal would close 80 percent of the White House sidewalk, put new limits on spontaneous demonstrations, and open the door to charging fees for protesting.

Proposed National Park Service changes

DRAFT Proposed Rule – August 7, 2018
Official Proposed Rule will publish in the Federal Register, search "RIN 1024-AE45"

Go to Regulations.gov:

Special Regulations, Areas of the National Park System, National Capital Region, Special Events and Demonstrations

This Proposed Rule document was issued by the National Park Service (NPS)

For related information, Open Docket Folder

Action
Proposed rule.

Summary
The National Park Service proposes to revise special regulations related to demonstrations and special events at certain national park units in the National Capital Region. The proposed changes would modify regulations explaining how the NPS processes permit applications for demonstrations and special events. The rule would also identify locations where activities are allowed, not allowed, or allowed but subject to restrictions.

Dates
Comments must be received by October 15, 2018.

Addresses
You may submit comments, identified by the Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 1024-AE45 by any of the following methods:

Electronically: Federal eRulemaking portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Hardcopy: Mail or hand deliver to National Park Service, National Mall and Memorial Parks, 900 Ohio Drive SW, Washington, DC 20024, Attn: Brian Joyner.

Instructions: All comments received must include the agency name (National Park Service) and RIN (1024-AE45) for this rulemaking. Comments will not be accepted by fax, email, or in any way other than those specified above. Comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment including your personal identifying information may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. To view comments received through the Federal eRulemaking portal, go to http://www.regulations.gov and enter 1024-AE45 in the search box.

For Further Information Contact
Brian D. Joyner, Chief of Staff, National Park Service, National Mall and Memorial Parks, [phone], [email protected].
....

Proposed Rule
The NPS proposes to revise the regulations applicable to demonstrations and special events that are held within the National Mall and Memorial Parks and President's Park. The NPS intends these revisions to (i) modify regulations explaining how the NPS processes permit applications to conduct activities in these areas; and (ii) better identify locations where activities are allowed, not allowed, or allowed but subject to restrictions. The NPS intends these changes to provide greater clarity to the public about how and where demonstrations and special events may be conducted in a manner that protects and preserves the cultural and historic integrity of these areas.

The supplementary information contained below will explain the proposed changes to existing regulations in section 7.96 of Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (36 CFR 7.96). These regulations govern activities within the National Mall and Memorial Parks, President's Park, and other administrative units subject to section 7.96. These other units—such as portions of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, National Capital Parks-East, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and Rock Creek Park—are located nearby the National Mall and Memorial Parks and President's Park. The NPS encounters management issues related to demonstrations and special events in these locations that are similar to those encountered in the National Mall and Memorial Parks and President's Park. In some cases, a single event such as a foot race will cross through several of these units. The administrative benefit of having a uniform set of regulations and permit processes for units in close proximity to one another supports applying the proposed changes in this rule to all of the units that are subject to section 7.96. This will allow the NPS to better manage these events and provide service to the public. The applicability of section 7.96 to the National Mall and Memorial Parks, President's Park, and these other units is discussed in more detail below.

A summary of the proposed changes is contained in the following table, along with a citation of the regulation that would be changed. The proposed changes are discussed below in the order they appear in the table below. In addition to the changes listed below, the proposed rule would reorganize several paragraphs in section 7.96 without changing any of the text.

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