County to Finally Protect Nonviolent Protests
by Brandi Makuski City-Times Editor October 18, 2012
Better late than never.
The Portage County Board voted Tuesday night to adopt a resolution formally protecting individuals engaged in nonviolent civil rights demonstration.
The move was necessary because the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program could not be renewed without the law on the books locally. County officials said protection was initially enacted by federal authorities during the civil rights protests of the 1970’s, as a means of protecting protestors from municipalities.
County Board Supervisor Don Butkowski said he didn’t see the connection.
“Maybe Mike [McKenna] could give us a little explanation,” he said. “I read through it and I really don’t understand how this is tied into the CDBG.”
“[The country] was building more public housing [during the 1970’s], and more people were on public assistance,” said Mike McKenna, the attorney for Portage County. “Congress wanted to make sure municipalities weren’t cracking down too hard on protestors, who- generally speaking- were lower- income.”
“This [law] was right after Kent State, when the National Guard unfortunately shot students during a campus protest. Congress essentially wanted to ensure municipalities weren’t unfairly cracking down on nonviolent civil rights protestors,” he added.
Supervisor Jim Gifford said he didn’t understand the timing. “This was [federally] enacted, what, forty years ago? I don’t understand why we’re doing this now after all this time.”
McKenna said the law was not on the books locally until the county board approved it Tuesday night. The move was necessary so the county could continue to receive Community Block Development Grant (CBDG) funds from the federal level; funds which are used to development and maintenance of low- income and subsidized housing.
McKenna said the county has received the grant money in the past, but the CBDG renewal required local laws protecting the nonviolent civil rights protesting from local governments.