A Different Street Celebration
While many residents of Raleigh were near Fayetteville Street celebrating as part of Raleigh Wide Open 3, there was another street celebration near downtown taking place.
Saturday night, residents of Alston Street and the surrounding areas gathered to celebrate the life of Charlie Nesmith, Jr., a U.S. veteran and pillar of the community. There was a DJ, saxophone player, and good times had by all.
Pictured above are Ma Belle’s mementos of her late husband, including a signed letter from President George W. Bush commending his service to our country.
Tony Chambers supplied smooth saxophone grooves for most of the evening. He performed several long winded solos, causing everyone to cheer and break out in long rounds of applause.
Much of the music played was of the old school variety, with 70s and 80s funk legends such as Rick James and Kool and the Gang.
At around 10:00 P.M., the RPD arrived and informed everyone that they needed to vacate the area because they didn’t possess the necessary permits and that they were participating in an unlawful gathering.
Regardless of the fact that it was eventually broken up by police, it was a fun time and a great way to celebrate the life of someone who has passed away.
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09/07/2008
And they wonder why people don’t like the police. Good job RPD! Shouldn’t you be in Durham? They have more problems than people wanting to have good family fun in the streets.
09/07/2008
Come on, do you think RPD cares one bit whether people party on Alston St? You’re right, they have bigger problems to deal with. They probably came because someone called to complain. And what can the cops say? “Yes, it’s against the law, but I’m going to ignore your complaint and let them continue partying in the street”. Yeah, right…
If the public (ie – you) thinks it’s fine to have an impromptu party and block the street, go tell your City Council members to repeal that ordinance.
09/07/2008
John –
I had a lengthy discussion with the responding officers as to why they were shutting the party down. They conceded that no one had called to complain, but that an officer on patrol had attempted to drive down Alston Street and was delayed because of the number of pedestrians in the street.
You have a valid point in that they have the law to enforce, but I think we both know that law enforcement officers pick and chose which laws they enforce. What’s the difference between this and a Sheriff’s deputy or State Trooper that lets you off with a warning when exceeding the speed limit or posessing an expired registration plate?
They even stated that the pressing concern was that pedestrians were blocking the flow of traffic and not that an ordinance being violated.
I have no interest in maligning the fine folks of the RPD, but in this instance they took action simply because there was a large gathering of people in the street on a Saturday night. To their credit, they were polite and gave the people gathering 10 minutes to disperse.
09/09/2008
I can understand the reason why city officials request folks obtain a permit to hold a block party. There could legitimately be a need for public safety officials (police, fire, EMS, etc.) to zoom down a street to get to an emergency quickly … so they need to be aware if a city street is going to be blocked off to traffic in advance.
That said. If this was a community event that brought people out of their homes and onto the street to socialize and bond … then what was the harm in letting it continue a little longer? I mean 10 minutes to disperse? Really.
It’s a tricky situation, because law enforcement officials have a point. But at some point you just have to let people enjoy the communities they’ve built. Hmmm.
09/10/2008
“they didn’t possess the necessary permits and that they were participating in an unlawful gathering”
First amendment to the US Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.â€
I realize the local ordinance in question didn’t come from the U.S. Congress, but the point of the Bill of Rights is to recognize essential civil liberties that the government has no business infringing. Among these is a natural God-given right of the people to peaceably assemble.
The *POLICE* lacked the necessary authority to infringe upon this right.
The people do not have a natural right, however, to block the streets. The police certainly could have cited people for blocking the public streets but that’s no reason to shut the whole thing down.