Protesters Will Be Allowed to March at Rush Hour During DNC

After the ACLU filed a lawsuit, the Kenney administration has reversed its blanket ban on rush-hour protests. Cheri Honkala’s group will march on the DNC’s opening day.

The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign and the ACLU announce their lawsuit against Philadelphia

From left: Elizabeth Ortiz, German Parobi, Cheri Honkla, Galen Tyler and Mary Catherine Roper. The ACLU and the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign gathered last month to announce a lawsuit against the city. 

In response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration has reversed its blanket ban on rush-hour protests during the Democratic National Convention. Cheri Honkala and her Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign have received a permit to march on the opening day of the convention.

“This is a victory for not only our clients but for the First Amendment,” said Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. “We appreciate the city of Philadelphia’s willingness to reconsider its position and to make Philadelphia a place where all voices can be heard during the DNC.”

Honkala, an activist in Philadelphia for decades and the Green Party’s vice presidential nominee in 2012, says her march will begin at 3 p.m. on July 25th, the first day of the convention.

“We will assemble on the south side of Broad Street and march at 3 p.m., as we requested,” Honkala said. “I hope that now the city will turn its attention to the poverty in our city.”

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