A Los Angeles activist group and the ACLU SoCal are demanding that the Los Angeles Police Department reverse a decision to deny the group a special event permit for a protest planned on Thursday, July 17.
In a statement, Refuse Fascism announced that they had applied for a special event permit for an “artistic, human installation” called “The Disappeared” on July 6. The installation was planned to be revealed at 5 PM on July 17 outside the Federal Building in Downtown Los Angeles.
The group says that the LAPD informed them that they received permit applications from “a number of organizations,” but that the Police Commission, the civilian board of directors for the LAPD that signs off on permits, will not be issuing special event permits for protests on the 17th.
“Not to Refuse Fascism, nor to other organizations,” Refuse Fascism stated.
Over a nearly ten-year period, Refuse Fascism says they’ve been granted permits for “dozens of rallies, marches, and stationary events.” This is the first time they have ever been denied a permit, the group said.
In an email sent to Refuse Fascism, the LAPD’s Special Events Permit Unit stated that they could not issue a permit to the group because, due to the city’s budget crisis, the L.A. Department of Transportation (LADOT) is currently unable to deploy traffic officers.