The National Park Service has floated the idea of whether it should charge fees to groups that hold protests on the National Mall.
The reason cited by officials for this possible change is the cost to the federal government of providing security and other support for these events. But there would be a serious cost to our democracy if the government takes the unprecedented step of charging citizens for their rights to free speech and political protest. Officials should not give any more thought to this bad idea.
The possibility of imposing a fee, or requiring cost reimbursements from protesters, is among 14 proposed revisions to regulations governing events held on federal land in the
District of Columbia that have raised considerable concerns among constitutional rights advocates, who see an effort by the Trump administration to stifle protest in the nation’s capital.
Under existing rules, the Park Service already has the authority to charge fees for “special use permit” events such as festivals or weddings, but not for activities related to speech or expression protected by the First Amendment.
There’s a big difference between a Hollywood film crew shooting a scene for Wonder Woman 1984 and citizens exercising their conitutional rights.
The comment period on imposing fees on protests closes Oct. 15, and an agency spokesman stressed that, at this point, it is not proposing a change but “just asking the question.” Here’s our answer: a resounding no.