I love a parade

 

The recent Goochland Day revival included a short and well-received parade, the first since May 2001, through the center of Courthouse Village. Its success was the result of a great deal of hard work and planning by the organizers in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office, fire-rescue, and other agencies.

The dearth of parades coupled with the recent occurrence of spontaneous demonstrations and processions brought deficiencies in the county’s existing ordinance governing parades under scrutiny.

The supervisors, at their October 5 meeting, voted unanimously to repeal the parade ordinance currently on the books and replace it with one with clearer and improved standards; a shorter permit process; and that addresses “spontaneous processions” and “expressive” activity. (Go to page 83 of the October board packet at http://goochlandcountyva.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1317&Inline=True)

County Attorney Tara McGee explained that the long “road” to a more comprehensive parade ordinance began in 2018 and included detailed discussion and input from the Sheriff, fire-rescue, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, and the community. Hardywood Park and Kindred Spirits Breweries in West Creek, who often sponsor 5k runs, were included in the discussions.

The dearth of deputies available to provide security for 5k runs in West Creek limited the number of those events and led to board members exploring other staffing options. About three years ago, McGee drafted an ordinance that combined permitting for parades and special events under the authority of the county administrator. After closer examination, she said, it became apparent that only the Sheriff has sufficient knowledge and expertise about how to safely allow an event on county roads.

The Sheriff’s Office, said McGee, is very supportive of helping people produce their events safely and appropriately. To that end, the parade permitting process has been streamlined. The Sheriff’s Office will not stop any group from exercising its First Amendment process because it did not obtain a permit.

Specific kinds of activities, including expressive and spontaneous processions are exempt from the ordinance.

An “expressive procession” is defined as “… a parade or procession with the primary purpose of exercising the rights of assembly and free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

A spontaneous procession is “…the same as an expressive procession except it is an unplanned and unannounced coming together of people caused by or in response to unforeseen circumstances or occasioned by events recently in the news, or which attempts to influence an event in the near future, such as a legislative action or election, for which the effectiveness of expression is time-sensitive.”

Also exempted are processions by: United States armed forces; Virginia’s military forces; law enforcement personnel; fire-rescue department personnel; and funeral processions.

Penalties have been reduced to a class 3 misdemeanor for failure to secure a permit, or violation of the conditions of the permit, with a maximum $500 fine.

The requirements of a permit include provisions for adequate sanitation facilities and potable water; removal of trash; compliance with health department regulations for food; ensuring adequate fire protection and medical personnel for attendees; parking, crowd control; security to protect against property damage, and personal injury (including off duty state police and Goochland deputies); and sufficient insurance to mitigate damage or injury caused by the parade.

The ordinance covers all the bases to obtain a permit to ensure that parades are safe for all concerned, but it makes no provision for the health, safety, and welfare of those participating in or affected by the spontaneous and expressive processions. What about sanitation, potable water, traffic control, and trash removal if several thousand people show up for a spontaneous procession?

We hope that anyone expressing their First Amendment Rights will be considerate of their surroundings and mindful of the health, safety, and welfare of all.