Protesters should think about filing an application with the city prior to hitting the Athens bricks.
Athens is accustomed to protests — many of which do a great deal for the Ohio University population and for the respective groups that organize them.
However, all but one of the many protests held last year on or near Court Street ran a legal risk.
Street protests actually need to have parade permits, which require protesters to fill out an application with the Athens Police Department. The permit costs $25, which goes toward filing fees and any police presence at the event. F--kRapeCulture was the only protesting group to receive such a permit last year.
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said the group did not initially apply for one but that he reached out to it after seeing posts about its then-upcoming march down Court Street on social media. He told the group that obtaining a permit was the proper way to hold its protest. He waived the fees in that instance.
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Those who hold non-approved protests and marches on Athens city property are in danger of being handed a disorderly conduct charge.
Last year, three members of the OU Student Union, including then-Student Senate President Megan Marzec, were arrested under that charge while protesting tuition increases.
Individuals wanting to protest in the middle of the street, which could pose a danger to themselves or drivers, should receive the proper paperwork before they hold their protests and marches.
It does a great disservice to the causes that protesters are fighting for by shifting the attention on arrests that occur because protesters did not file a permit.
Pyle has made it clear he has no problem approving any parade permit that comes across his desk. So please, file the application. Get the permit. We want to know what you have to say.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: Editor-in-Chief Emma Ockerman, Managing Editor Rebekah Barnes, Opinion Editor Will Gibbs and Digital Managing Editor Samuel Howard. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.
