A judge ruled that a group of demonstrators have the right to protest directly in front of Mayor Bloomberg's Upper East Side townhouse. The city initially rejected the protesters' application to rally against school closures and charter schools in front of the Mayor's East 79th Street home, but the demonstrators won the fight in court.
Police had tried to compromise with the protesters — dubbed the Emergency Coalition to Stop School Closings — by allowing them to assemble on the south side of the street, but not on the north side where Bloomberg lives. The demonstrators turned down the offer, and Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled in their favor, allowing them to hold the rally on Jan. 21 between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. The judge said the expected 250 participants must march single-file in the street near the sidewalk so they don't interfere with pedestrian traffic, according to the Times.
Plaintiff, protester, and P.S. 15 parent Lydia Bellahcene said: "I'm very excited that little old me could take up this battle and come out as a winner." Failed public advocate candidate Norman Siegel claimed the court decision was a "victory for these protesters and for the First Amendment rights of the citizens of New York."
