Balancing Constitutional Rights And Safety

WAAY 31's Breken Terry learned the reasons a gathering could be considered illegal.

Tomorrow.

The number of protests is skyrocketing.from black lives matter, to confederate monuments to police accountability.

The right to assemble is guaranteed in the first amendment.

But in north alabama and across the country, some officers are telling activists their protests are illegal!

Waay 31's breken terry joins us live from florence.

She learned the reasons a gathering could be considered illegal.

District attorneys and police told me while protesting is protected in the constitution.

You can't disrupt the flow of traffic, get violent, or have an unreasonable noise level to the point that it's disturbing others.

Officers here in florence created protest zones to keep people safe.

Some of them violated the boundaries.

Let's watch what happened next.

Police officer- this is labeled as a no protest zone.

You can walk you just can't yell.

If you want to go to the courthouse and do your business you can yell and scream all you want.

A protestor then asks the officer why and how the department created protest zones.

And if it infringes on the first amendment.

Police officer- you're more than welcome to address it with the chief of police.

I'm just the guy giving orders.

You're more than welcome to keep walking and hold your signs and film me you can film my officers you can film businesses whatever you want to do you just can't chant.

It's why florence police said they sought guidance from the aclu.

Officers put these protest boundaries up to let people in downtown florence enjoy themselves while protests take place.

Connolly- if your following what the aclu suggest you do then i think you are fine.

Then you get into specifics of someone stepping over the line then you have to rely on the judgement of the law enforcement officer who is there to deescalate not escalate those sorts of things.

Other groups of protestors have held silent protests outside of the protest zones with police there and those were successful.

No protestors in florence have been arrested and the protests have been pretty peaceful compared to other cities.

Live in florence breken terry waay31.