Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gather to protest nuclear arms, on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York, June 12, 1982. Since the election of President Donald Trump, New York City has been host to many protests hostile to his agenda, with the women’s march drawing about 400,000 participants on Jan. 21, 2017. (Keith Meyers/The New York Times)

Corey Kilgannon of the New York Times wrote about the use of the Great Lawn in Central Park for OZYFEST, “a splashy weekend long event on July 20 and 21 with multiple stages and top tickets selling for $400.” (NY Times, 7/13/19) Portions of the Great Lawn will be closed to the public for nine days in order to accommodate the festival.  The use of the Great Lawn to facilitate a commercial venture raises the following questions:  What and who is the Great Lawn intended to serve?  The first amendment to the U.S.  Constitution provides for first amendment protest rallies on the Great Lawn.  Have such rallies been permitted in recent years: If not, why not? (read more…)