cannabisnews.com: City, Pro-Marijuana Group Apply for Permit 










  City, Pro-Marijuana Group Apply for Permit 

Posted by FoM on March 16, 2002 at 13:52:17 PT
By Dean Mosiman, City Government Reporter  
Source: Wisconsin State Journal 

Madison's hopes for a flashy parade of mayors this summer could go to pot. In a quintessential Madison dilemma, the city is weighing competing permit requests- one for a rally to legalize marijuana and other issues and the other for a parade of more than 600 mayors and guests attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Activist Ben Masel, who leads the legalize marijuana and free speech group Weedstock.com last May applied for a permit to close Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on June 14-15 during the U.S. Conference of Mayors. 
The event would offer a stage with speakers and music and a chance for people to set up information booths or carry signs to "get their message across" to the mayors. But two months after Masel's request, the city's conference host committee applied for a permit to close the street from 2 to 9:30 p.m. for a half-hour "procession" from 7:30 to 8 p.m. of mayors and guests from a state Capitol reception to a party on the Monona Terrace rooftop. The two-block stroll would feature Mama Dig Downs Brass Band, stilt walkers, a drum and bugle corps, a bagpipe color guard, giant flags and inflatable figures. The parade would "showcase Madison's diverse community and rich cultural arts offerings," and "bring Madison's destination potential to the rest of the country," the host committee said in its permit application. The parade is "a significant part" of the city's efforts to showcase itself, said Ryan Mulcahy, spokesman to Mayor Sue Bauman. The permit requests are now before the city's Street Use Staff Team. Making the first request for a permit usually influences who gets one, but the city is hoping a compromise can be worked out, said city events coordinator Kelli Lamberty, who leads the staff team. The mayors are welcome to parade through the rally, but Weedstock won't step aside for the full day, as sought by the events committee, Masel said. "We can let them parade through, but that's about it," he said. "If they think they can shut down free speech for everyone else, they've got another thing coming." Mulcahy said: "Madison is a place that tries to make accommodations. It's up to the (staff team)." The prestigious conference, which draws mayors from across the nation and perhaps President Bush, as well as protesters, is set for June 13-18. Complete Title: City, Pro-Marijuana Group Apply for Permit for Same Site Source: Wisconsin State Journal (WI)Author: Dean Mosiman, City Government Reporter Published: March 15, 2002Copyright: 2002 Madison Newspapers, Inc.Contact: wsjopine madison.comWebsite: http://www.wisconsinstatejournal.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Weed Stockhttp://weedstock.com Weedstock Case Goes Up in Smokehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11497.shtmlMasel Seeks Street Permit To Air Ideas http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10041.shtml 

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Comment #1 posted by FoM on April 11, 2002 at 14:14:44 PT

Pot Advocate Can Protest During Mayor's Conference
Thursday, April 11, 2002: 
http://www.channel3000.com/
 
A permit has been granted for a rally by marijuana advocates during the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in June, but it calls for the gathering to be over before a parade is held by the officials. 
 
The Street Use Staff Team approved Tuesday holding the rally on one block June 14-15 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
 
But it rejected a request by marijuana advocate Ben Masel to allow the rally to continue until 10 p.m. each of those days and to also be held on an adjacent second block on which the City-County Building is located. 
 
Masel said he plans to appeal the restrictions to the City Council or Circuit Court, if necessary. 
 
Kelli Lamberty, the city's community events coordinator, said the block on which the City-County Building is located "is not available for street use permits for the duration of the mayor's conference." 
 
Masel's permit ends more than an hour before a procession of mayors from a Capitol reception to a party on the Monona Terrace rooftop June 15. 
 
He said it was important to extend the event, which will include speakers and bands, to the block where the City-County Building is located. 
 
" The point isn' t to have the mayors see that there' s an indefinable gray blob out there, but so they can read signs and hear speeches, " he said. 
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