June 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 6

per
D E PA
specti
RTM Eves
NT

A Message from NRPA's Leaders

Power of Place

"

Y

ou're watching history being made! " the news announcer proclaimed as

an image of a park flashed on the television. Recently we've been seeing
pictures of parks and public spaces around the world as they play a public role in fostering democracy and democratic ideals: Egyptian citizens gathered in
Tahrir (liberation) Square and the democratic fervor spread to Green Square in Tripoli; students demonstrated in Uhuru ( " Freedom " ) Park in Nairobi. Increasingly, parks
and public spaces provide the forum for international protests, whether they involve
throwing off the yoke of tyranny or protesting increased student fees at universities.
I'm proud of the responsibility of our NRPA members in maintaining the public forum for the exercise of our constitutional rights. Balancing the needs
of public safety, the peace and tranquility of open
spaces, and the constitutional guarantees of the right
to assemble and to exercise freedom of speech is no
small task. That this responsibility has fallen upon the
shoulders of local, state, and national park administrators speaks both to the privilege we have and the
public trust we must maintain.
It would be wrong to say that this responsibility
has always gone smoothly. We almost always hear
from the citizens who are not in favor of whatever
demonstrators favored. One recent anonymous blogger, in response to a recent court decision upholding First Amendment rights, wrote: " I don't think they
have a right to bother me while I visit a national monument. I have rights too, right? If they insisted I would
be happy to nicely remind them of my rights and send
them to fry asparagus. " While I'm not certain what asparagus has to do with this, I'm certain that this writer
shares the sentiment of many park users and public
officials as well. Frequently, there is vociferous opposition to the issuance of permits. Law enforcement
officials are understandably reluctant to encourage

demonstrations which might result in disorder. Then
there are the logistical problems: accommodating the
rival demonstrations, maintaining sanitary conditions,
removing trash, etc.
In 1937 Frank Hague, then mayor of Jersey City,
stopped a union organization committee from distributing materials in the city park. The union argued that this violated the First Amendment right of
assembly, and the U.S. Supreme Court agreed, stating: " Wherever the title of streets and parks may
rest, they have immemorially been held in trust for
the use of the public and . . . have been used for purposes of assembly, communicating thoughts between citizens, and discussing public questions.
Such use of the streets and public places has, from
ancient times, been a part of the privileges, immunities, rights, and liberties of citizens. "
The next time the city council, county commissioners, or state budget officer threatens to cut money for park maintenance or questions the use of park
facilities by individuals or groups of whom they disapprove, reply : " Don't you support the Constitution?
Don't you believe we should provide places for the
exercise of our freedoms? We can't do that without
your support. " 


Janna Rankin
Chair

4	

Parks & Recreation

J U NE 2 0 1 1

www . N R P A . O R G
June 2011 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2011 - Parks & Recreation
