Huge Free Speech Victory! Trump Administration Defeated by Broad Grassroots Coalition

A united coalition of grassroots groups has effectively stopped regulations proposed by Trump that would have made people pay for the right to protest! 

Over 15,000 people in Lafayette Park in front of the White House demonstrating against the fascist 'Unite the Right' rally in 2018.

A broad coalition of grassroots organizations including the ANSWER Coalition and led by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) has won a huge victory for free speech by defeating the Trump Administration's plans to implement anti-democratic regulations that would have greatly blocked free speech and assembly on federal land in Washington D.C. The broad coalition made up of civil rights, labor, climate justice, women’s rights, LGBTQ, immigration rights and anti-war organizations has forced the Trump administration to withdraw its regulatory proposal in its entirety! 

The proposed regulations would have created massive fees and costs that would have effectively made it impossible for grassroots groups to demonstration in the nation's capital. In addition the regulations would have closed the White House sidewalk off from protests, eliminated the 24-hour Deemed Granted Rule, and band long term vigils and protests from taking place. 

As a part of challenging the regulations the ANSWER Coalition helped to organize the collection of more than 140,000 public comments to the formal rule-making record. These comments and the legal work being organized by the PCJF to take the Trump Administration on directly in court proved to be insurmountable for Trump's plans. 

In his legal affidavit ANSWER Coalition's National Director Brian Becker said about the proposed regulations, "As a life-long activist in support of peace and social justice I have been obtaining permits from the National Park Service for the past 36 years for political protests concerning U.S. domestic and foreign policy decisions...I can cite numerous instances wherein the application of [Trump's] proposed permitting regulations would have severely impaired or made impossible the carrying out of the many protests and demonstrations that I have organized or played a central role in organizing during the past decades." 

We applaud the work of the Partnership for Civil Justice and all of our coalition partners in this historical victory for the protection of free speech! Read the full statement from the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund here.

The continued work of the ANSWER Coalition against war and racism is made possible by the contributions of supporters like you! Please make an urgently needed donation today!