News from Modesto, California:

California city denies Straight Pride rally permit

A Northern California city has denied a request to hold a so-called Straight Pride rally at a park.

Modesto city officials on Friday denied an application by the National Straight Pride Coalition for an Aug. 24 event at Graceada Park.

Organizer Don Grundmann had estimated 500 people would attend. The group says it supports heterosexuality, Christianity and white contributions to Western civilization.

I want to make this clear, I am not anti-Christian or anti-White.  But the buzzwords here suggest this rally seems like the kind of thing that could attract white supremacists and the alt-right.

Opponents argued the rally would promote hatred of LGBTQ people and minorities.

Maybe.

City spokesman Thomas Reeves says the permit request was denied over safety concerns, because the group lost its liability insurance and the parks department determined the event wasn’t consistent with park use.

Oops…

See, it doesn’t matter what the message of the people rallying is, they still have a First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.

The Supreme Court decided that in 1977 in National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie.

When the city stated that “the event wasn’t consistent with park use,” if lawyers for the Straight Pride group can show that the park has been used for other political rallies, especially a gay rights rally, then clearly, the city is giving out permits based on political ideology which is a First Amendment violation.

I can understand why Modesto wanted to deny this group a permit, but if this group takes them to court, this is what I see happening.  Modesto will lose, they will get a permit to rally, Modesto will have to pay damages, and the media frenzy from the trial will attract more people and make the rally even bigger.

I don’t want to support this group.  It seems like it’s going to be made up of the same kind of assholes who rallied in Charlottesville.  But they still have Constitutional rights and Modesto learning that lesson is going to be fun to watch.