UNM grants new permit to 99 percenters in Albuquerque after ACLU intervenes

University of New Mexico administrators have issued a new permit for members of the “99 percent” movement to protest at Yale Park, which is on UNM’s campus. The permit was granted after the ACLU of New Mexico said they would file an injunction against UNM to allow (Un)occupy Albuquerque to exercise their First Amendment rights in a public space.

Last week, police evicted the “99 percenters” from Yale Park, and arrested over two dozen protesters who peacefully resisted the eviction after UNM refused to renew the permit for the protest site.

In a statement, the ACLU of New Mexico said they were “involved in facilitating the balancing of protesters’ First Amendment rights with the university’s desire to impose reasonable restrictions on the time, place and manner of the protest.”

ACLU state offices across the country have been intervening in civil rights disputes involving the “Occupy” movement.

ACLU attorneys in Nashville, Tenn. sued on behalf of arrested Occupy Nashville protesters, saying the state had violated their rights to free speech and assembly. In San Diego, Calif., the ACLU asked local police to release many Occupy San Diego protesters arrested when they refused to leave their encampment last week, over concerns that the protesters would be in jail for days before bail is posted.

The permit for (Un)occupy Albuquerque lasts through November 6, and is more restrictive than the previous one: The protestors can be in the park from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM during the week, and from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on the weekend.

The ACLU of New Mexico’s managing attorney Laura Schauer Ives said they would ”continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure that these rights remain intact.”