Mall Closed

By: Mr. Wilson on May 22, 2012
I'm a little confused about what actually happened when the City Council banned tents on Centennial Mall. The Mall is now considered a park and it closes at 11pm. I didn't like that idea from the first moment I heard the proposal. Centennial Mall should be a 24/7 public space, for symbolic reasons as much as anything. It should be "open" space in several meanings of the term. Barring structures (including tents) makes sense. Barring all activity after an arbitrary time? That's unnecessarily restrictive. But wait, what's this? The LJS article ends with:
People can use the parks for rallies with advance permission, and they can use the Capitol steps, the steps of the county courthouse and the Centennial Mall sidewalks.
Emphasis mine. Does that mean a group can hold a rally after 11pm as long as everybody stays on the sidewalk? That's odd. Aren't there laws against loitering on a public sidewalk, impeding the flow of foot traffic, and so forth? Ultimately the practical impact of these changes is very minimal, hence the almost complete lack of public interest in the matter. In some ways it's unfortunate that Lincolnites don't care more about their public spaces and the restrictions placed upon them. Yet it's hard to blame the community for being pragmatic. Look back at the past few decades. How often have Lincolnites mobilized and stormed Centennial Mall for anything? Even the Occupy Lincoln protest, though meaningful to the participants and despite its duration, was an entirely forgettable event. In fact, the irony of Occupy Lincoln is that the only thing they accomplished was making their protest illegal. Mission: failed. So the mall is closed late at night now. I guess I'll have to come up with an alternate destination for this summer's camping trip.

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Errandbug Restaurant Delivery
May 23, 2012 at 11:24PM

Just like a bunch of other stuff the City Council has passed in last few years.  Remember the “porch couch” ordinance and the more recent comments about the feather signs.  It was quoted in the paper that basically these “laws” would only be enforced if folks actually called in and complained about it.  This is another one that basically everyone will forget about until the cops arrest someone drunk on Centennial Mall and the judge wants to throw everything at the person. 

Journal Star Article: http://bit.ly/KQiGsg

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