When two (2) or more people congregate in a public place and the acts of such persons create a substantial risk of injury, alarm or serious inconvenience to any person or property, or hinder, or obstruct the free passage of any person or vehicle upon a public right of way, a peace officer or other public official in executing and enforcing the law may order the participants and others in the immediate vicinity to disperse. A person who refuses a lawful order to disperse or a person who knowingly and intentionally fails to obey such an order is guilty of a misdemeanor.
A. Exception: No such orders shall apply to a news reporter or other person observing or recording the events on behalf of the public press or other news media, unless he is physically obstructing lawful efforts by such officer to disperse the group.
Nothing in this section requires persons to disperse who are peaceably assembled for a lawful purpose. (Ord. 745, 7-12-2011)