Wednesday, May 28, 2014
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court says the city of Cleveland has the right to enforce a curfew law for a downtown park.
The court voted 6-1 today to uphold an ordinance that prohibits people from the park area of Public Square from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. without a permit. Two Occupy Cleveland protesters were arrested in October 2011 after refusing to leave the park. They appealed after pleading no contest to a curfew violation.
An appellate court in Cleveland ruled the women’s arrests violated their First Amendment right to free speech and assembly.
Attorneys for the city appealed, arguing the ordinance is about public safety. The Supreme Court ruling said the women could have moved from the grassy area of Public Square to an adjacent sidewalk to avoid arrest.