DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — A group of protesters held a rally in Decatur and although a permit is required, demonstrators went ahead as planned Friday evening without one.
Last month, Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling decided to enforce a decades-old ordinance after protests at his home. Friday’s demonstrations come after the police shooting death of Stephen Perkins last September.
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Protesters have been asking their council members to amend the city law for some time now.
Some in the community believe the current ordinance in place requiring a permit to demonstrate is a way to prevent protesters from expressing their freedom of speech.
Many have grown frustrated over what they’ve called a lack of urgency among city leaders in addressing a change to the ordinance that would allow them to protest without permission.
Friday night was another phase in the community’s ongoing battle for justice in the death of Stephen Perkins. The law in question is a parade ordinance passed in the late 1970s with some calling it a violation of their First Amendment rights.