(A) Conduct of picketing; penalty. Peaceful picketing in a lawful purpose shall be allowed in the city without a permit being required if the picketing or demonstration event does not fall within the definitions of a parade, event, block party, performance or filming as defined above, provided the picketing or demonstration is done under the following conditions:
(1) The organizer of the picketing or demonstration event shall give written notice to the city at least 24 hours prior to picketing or demonstrating unless such event is an ultra spontaneous event occasioned by news or affairs coming into public knowledge on the same day of such picketing or demonstration event.
(2) Picketing or demonstrations may be conducted only on the sidewalk or other city-owned areas or right-of-way normally used or reserved for pedestrian movement and may not be conducted on the portion of a street used primarily for vehicular traffic.
(3) Such pickets may carry written or printed placards or signs, provided the placards and staffs or poles to which they are attached do not interfere with the free use of the sidewalk by other pedestrians. Such placards, with reasonable use, shall be deemed to comply if they do not exceed 20 inches by 30 inches or 600 square inches; provided that the words used are not unlawful pursuant to other provisions of the city code and state law. The staff on which such placards is carried shall not exceed 40 inches in length, must be made of wood, shall not exceed 3/4 of an inch in diameter at any point and must be blunt at each end. Placards, staffs, and poles exceeding these dimensions, and staffs and poled have sharpened or pointed ends, are presumed threats to safety.
(4) Such pickets must march single file and not congregate so as to block the sidewalk or any driveway.
(5) If pickets promoting different objectives desire to use the same sidewalk within a block of each other for picketing, the police department patrol commander shall allot time to each group of pickets for the use of such sidewalk on an equitable basis, but each group shall be permitted to picket subject to the provisions of this section in alternating four hour time periods.
(6) The term "block" as used in this section, shall mean each side of the street lying between street intersections.
(7) Picketing or demonstrations done contrary to this section shall be unlawful, and each individual in violation shall be subject to a fine of up to $50 for the first offense, plus any additional state assessments, and a fine of up to $100 for the second and subsequent offenses, plus any additional state assessments within a period of two years.
(B) Interference with picketing or demonstrations. It shall be unlawful for any person to physically interfere with such picketing or demonstrations in the use of the sidewalk or address profane, indecent, abusive, or threatening language to such pickets or others to breach the peace.
(C) Crowd dispersal. A shift commander or a supervisor of the police department of the city may, in the event of the assemblage of persons in such numbers as to tend to intimidate pickets pursuing their lawful objective through numbers alone or through use of inflammatory words, direct the dispersal of person so assembled, and any police officer may arrest any person who fails to leave the place of assemblage when so directed by the police.
(Ord. 2007-15, passed 8-13-07; Am. Ord. 2012-13, passed 7-23-12)