Opinion ID: 203074
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Absence of Waiver of Fees for Indigent

Text: The plaintiffs argued below that the parade ordinance is unconstitutional on its face and as applied because it does not provide any exception or reduction to the potentially large permit fee for citizens or groups for whom the fee causes a substantial hardship. They argued successfully to the district court that the lack of a financial exemption leaves those citizens and groups unable to pay the fee without open, ample alternatives for communication. Where, as here, however, there are ample alternative forums for speech, we see insufficient justification for the district court's ruling that the Constitution mandates an indigency exception, in effect forcing general taxpayers to support financially a particular organizer's event. i. District Court's Analysis The district court relied on the Supreme Court's assertion in Murdock, 319 U.S. at 111, 63 S.Ct. 870, that [f]reedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion are available to all, not merely to those who can pay their own way. The district court observed that in cases where bonds and insurance premiums are required for a parade permit, courts have found that the requirements imposed financial demands that burdened the expressive activities of those with insufficient financial means more than necessary to achieve the governmental interest. The district court asked whether the sidewalks and parks of a city represent a reasonable alternative to the streets and concluded, based on the testimony of a sociologist called as an expert witness by the plaintiffs, that sidewalks have less symbolic significance than do streets and are inadequate as alternatives for logistical reasons. Plaintiffs' expert witness was an assistant professor of sociology at Bowdoin College, who testified that sidewalks were not a satisfactory alternative location for parades. He testified, inter alia, that street marches attract more attention as they are more likely to inconvenience the general public by interrupting traffic and disrupting routines. He further testified that street marches also have positive connotations because of the American tradition of successful protest marches, such as the 1963 March on Washington. By contrast, he thought, sidewalk marches have less symbolic significance and provide logistical challenges because sidewalks are narrower and prevent the carrying of large banners. The district court also expressed concern that Augusta's parade ordinance arguably requires the securing of permits for sidewalk marches as well as for street marches, despite the City's insistence that permits were not needed for sidewalk marches. The language of the ordinance refers to the use of public ways within the city, which could, the district court said, easily be construed to include sidewalks.