Res. No. 158
Title
Resolution reaffirming the people's right to peaceful protest.
Body
By Council Member Dromm
Whereas, The right to peaceful protest is a central tenet of our democracy; and
Whereas, The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects this principle by prohibiting the government from abridging the "right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances;" and
Whereas, The New York State Constitution also enshrines the "rights of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government, or any department thereof;" and
Whereas, The United States was founded on an action of political protest, when in December 1773, a group of our forefathers spoke out against the Tea Act and the colonists' lack of representation in the British Parliament by storming British ships docked in Boston Harbor and throwing 46 tons of tea overboard; and
Whereas, One of the most successful, compelling, and powerful movements in United States history, the Civil Rights movement, was bolstered by various acts of political protest and resistance, including sit ins, demonstrations, rallies, and the 200,000 person march to Washington D.C., which led to the successful passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and
Whereas, The Vietnam War protests throughout the 1960s and 1970s, brought together men, women, artists, faith-based groups and leaders, students, and communities of color, to join in vocal opposition to the war and, arguably, played a critical role in the eventual end to the U.S.'s involvement in the conflict; and
Whereas, New Yorkers have a long, rich history of engaging in a wide range of political expression through the use of marches, demonstrations, sit-ins, rallies, economic and other boycotts, pickets, protests, strikes, and other similar measures; and
Whereas, The streets of New York City have always served as a movable platform and protesters h...
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