(A) Peaceful picketing in the furtherance of a lawful purpose shall be permitted in the town provided the same is done under the following conditions:
(1) Picketing may be conducted only on the sidewalks reserved for pedestrian movement and may not be conducted on the portion of a street used primarily for vehicular traffic.
(2) Not more than 10 pickets promoting the same objective shall be permitted to use 1 of the 2 sidewalks within a block of the town at any 1 time.
(3) Pickets may carry written or printed placards or signs not exceeding 2 feet in width and 2 feet in length promoting the objective for which the picketing is done; provided the words used are not defamatory in nature or would tend to produce violence.
(4) Pickets must march in single file and not abreast and may not march closer together than 15 feet except in passing one another.
(5) If pickets promoting different objectives desire to use the same sidewalk for picketing and use would result in the presence of more than 10 pickets thereon, the Chief of Police shall allot time to each group of pickets for the use of the sidewalk on an equitable basis.
(B) It shall be unlawful for any person to physically interfere with pickets in the use of the sidewalk or to address profane, indecent, abusive or threatening language to or at pickets which would tend to provoke pickets or others to a breach of the peace.
(C) The police officers of the town may, in the event of the assemblage of persons in numbers as to tend to intimidate pickets pursuing their lawful objective through numbers alone or through use of inflammatory words, direct the dispersal of persons so assembled and may arrest any person who fails to absent himself or herself from the place of assemblage when so directed by the police.
(D) Whenever the free passage of any street or sidewalk in the town shall be obstructed by a crowd, the persons composing the crowd shall disperse or move on when directed to do so by a police officer. It shall be unlawful for any person to refuse to so disperse or move on when so directed by a police officer.
(1988 Code, § 20-115) Penalty, see § 10.99