The
New York City’s Department of Parks and Recreation has agreed to grant a
request from the Christian Action Network to permit the showing
of a film made about 9/11 survivors in a number of city parks leading up
to the 10th anniversary of the tragic attacks of 9/11.
The decision came just two weeks after the
American Center for Law and Justice sent a demand letter urgingc ity officials to permit the film to be shown or face a possible
lawsuit.
“This is an important victory for our clients and for the First Amendment,” says Brett Joshpe, ACLJ counsel. “The city’s decision to permit this important documentary to be shown in a
number of city parks protects the constitutional rights of our clients.
We’re pleased that the corrective action was taken in a timely manner so
that our clients can show this film in the days leading up to the
anniversary commemorating the tragic events of 9/11, as they had
planned.”
The ACLJ sent New York City a demand letter on July
28 after CAN officials contend that they were denied permission to
utilize a number of city parks, which are available and routinely used
by other organizations, to show a documentary entitled Sacrificed Survivors: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mega-Mosque,
which addresses the controversy surrounding the mosque at Ground Zero
from the perspective of individuals who lost loved ones in the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11.
Communications between the Parks Department
and CAN’s representatives revealed that the department’s concern over
the documentary’s content and viewpoint was the issue.
“The law is
clear: the city has violated the Christian Action Network’s rights
under the First Amendment,” the demand letter stated. “The city’s
refusal to approve CAN’s applications due to disagreement with the
content and viewpoint of the documentary violates CAN’s First Amendment
rights. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits
the government from ‘abridging the freedom of speech.'”
