Opinion ID: 619560
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Carrasco’s Claims against Police Chief Biang

Text: Margaret Carrasco opposed the Towing Ordinance and participated in a march on June 28, 2004, to protest it. Waukegan’s Chief of Police, William Biang, was informed No. 09-1165 5 that Carrasco intended to conduct a rally on July 6, 2004, in conjunction with a city council meeting that night. He was told the upcoming rally would be larger than one at which protesters seemed hostile to police. On July 1, 2004, Biang sent an officer to Carrasco’s house to ask her to attend a meeting that day to discuss the upcoming rally. Carrasco attended the meeting that afternoon with Biang, three other police officers, and city attorney Gretchen Neddenriep. Exactly what was said at the July 1 meeting is disputed, but the parties agree that Carrasco said she and others would attend the city council meeting on July 6. At the July 1 meeting, Neddenriep handed Carrasco a copy of the Assembly Ordinance and asked her to comply with it. A follow-up letter from Neddenriep the next day stated that Waukegan would waive the requirement that the application be filed in advance but that Carrasco had to pay a permit fee of $1,500. The fee was based on the number of extra police officers Biang determined were needed for the rally (ten officers at $50 per hour for three hours each). Biang was copied on the letter. Biang has said that he determined more officers were needed for the rally because it was a protest as opposed to a rally in favor of a City ordinance. Out of 530 events in a five-year period, only two were determined to require payment of a permit fee, and those were protests against the Towing Ordinance. The two events triggering a permit fee were Carrasco’s possible event and another planned by Chris Blanks, discussed below. 6 No. 09-1165 On July 6, 2004, Carrasco told Biang and Neddenriep that there would be no event that day, pointing out that no deposit was required for overflowing city council meetings. At the July 6 city council meeting Biang reserved eight or ten seats for Carrasco and her group.