GRASSROOTS PARTY HAVING QUARREL WITH CITY OFFICIALS

Security Request Holding Up Permits For Sept. 16 Rally

With or without the blessings of the St. Paul police, the Grassroots Party
says it is prepared to hold a block party and march Sept. 16 in the name of
legalizing marijuana. So far, event organizer and party chairman Chris
Wright said he has been unable to get the proper city permits for the
``14th Annual Minnesota Tea Party'' because he has refused to comply with
police requests to hire as many as five off-duty officers.

Last year, there were two and that was sufficient, Wright said. ``They're
putting up some unreasonable free-speech roadblocks,'' Wright said.
``Frankly, we're not going to pay for it (additional officers) and we're
going to march.

There's no reason we should observe such an unconstitutional infringement
on our free speech.'' St. Paul Police Department spokesman Michael Jordan
said the request has nothing to do with infringing on free speech -- it is
a matter of public safety.

The bottom line: If the Grassroots Party complies with the department's
requests, it will get the permits to march. The issue of added security
came up, Wright said, because four or five arrests were made at the 1999
event, which drew about 1,000 people.

About half of those marched to the Governor's Residence on Summit Avenue,
the same route planned for this year. Police could not confirm the number
of arrests made last year, and the officer in charge of approving the
parade and march permits was unavailable for comment Wednesday. The state
has tentatively approved a permit allowing the event on the Capitol
grounds. But Wright said he needs three additional city permits, including
official approval from the Police Department to hold a block party on
Constitution Avenue -- at the base of the Capitol mall between John Ireland
Boulevard and Cedar Street. The second permit, which also must be obtained
through the Police Department, is to hold a parade.

The final license is a park permit that must be obtained from the city's
Parks and Recreation Department to march on Summit Avenue, a parkway that
the department oversees. The event is a political rally of sorts that
includes music and voter registration as well as the march.

The event is held, in part, to show the party's support for repealing the
laws that outlaw the use of marijuana and other narcotics. The Minnesota
Civil Liberties Union has weighed in on the matter, and has mailed a letter
to Mayor Norm Coleman. ``We're concerned about the use of the parade
permitting process to prevent people from speaking their minds -- we think
that that stinks,'' said Charles Samuelson, executive director of the MCLU.
A representative of Coleman's office could not be reached for comment.