Three Baltimore Activists Unlawfully Arrested for Peaceful, Legal Protest

On Friday, October 12, 2007 at approximately 7:30 PM, three animal rights activists were arrested by the Baltimore City Police during a peaceful and legal demonstration at Salt Tavern (2127 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland). The activists, who are all members of the Baltimore Animal Rights Coalition (BARC), have been holding weekly demonstrations at Salt Tavern to protest the restaurant's practice of serving foie gras, a so-called "delicacy" which is obtained by force-feeding ducks &geese. These demonstrations involve nothing more than group members standing on the edge of the sidewalk, holding signs and passing out leaflets, typically for one to two hours once a week.

I've been actively involved with BARC for a few years, so I can provide some background information about the current situation. Salt Tavern has tried to position itself as a very upscale dining establishment, and there is no doubt that they do not like having protesters standing in front of their restaurant during the busy Friday dinner hour. Each week, the manager of Salt calls the cops as soon as she sees protesters outside of her restaurant, and each week, the Baltimore Police dutifully respond by sending numerous squad cars to our protest.

On October 5, 2007, two Baltimore police officers showed up at a Salt Tavern protest, demanding that BARC produce a permit that said we were allowed to protest. BARC was under the impression that no permit was needed, but group members decided to look into the issue and agreed to move across the street for the evening's demo until the permit issue could be decided. Over the next week, numerous BARC members sprang into action, consulting private attorneys, the Baltimore City Permit Office, and even the Maryland office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Every qualified person we spoke with gave us the exact same answer: you do not need a permit to engage in constitutionally-protected free speech activities in the city of Baltimore.