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Resident urges action after repeated Saturday-morning protests produce noise near Garfield Parkway
Summary
Resident James McGrath told the council that recurring Saturday protests near Garfield Parkway have generated sustained horn beeping and profanity, disrupting neighborhood peace; town staff and the police said assemblies on public property do not require permits and that most noise comes from passing vehicles, limiting enforcement options.
During the meeting’s public-comment period, resident James McGrath (S5) described nearly two years of Saturday morning gatherings near the pumping station by the 600 block of Garfield Parkway that he said produce loud noise, horn beeping and profanity that disturb nearby homeowners between about 9 and 11 a.m.
“My request to you ... is to go someplace else,” McGrath said, asking the council and police to move the group from his neighborhood. He reported calling police most recently; an officer told him protesters have a right to assemble and the town solicitor has advised that no permit is required to assemble on the public street.
Town manager Cliff Gravier (S9) and Mayor (S4) said the town and police have engaged the group and asked whether they would move to the park, but the group prefers the current location. Gravier said legal counsel confirmed the group’s right to assemble on public property and that much of the noise appears to come from passersby rather than the assembly itself. The council said it would speak again with the group and the police department reported having had conversations aimed at encouraging relocation, but there was no council direction to ban or remove the assembly.
McGrath’s complaint was recorded for the public record; council members acknowledged residents’ right to quiet but emphasized constitutional assembly protections and limited enforcement powers when gatherings occur on public property.
