Abby Zaccaria

Columnist

I think the unlawful assemblies ordinance should be passed in order to protect the community and encourage peaceful protests.

The ordinance makes it a violation of city code for a person to fail to obey a command of a sworn peace officer or fail to disperse after a reasonable effort is made to advise the participants that the assembly is unlawful and must disperse, according to the first draft.

The final draft has yet to be reviewed and passed. Passing the ordinance would help the police keep protests from getting out of hand, which could lead to someone getting seriously hurt.

I think that passing the ordinance is a good idea because it does not prevent legal protests and assemblies that are covered by the First Amendment. The ordinance only requires people to disperse after a police officer tells them too if the assembly or protest is illegal; it will also keep riots from happening which may cause people to get hurt.

Kara Mercer

Columnist

I believe there should be some kind of action when an assembly gathers and becomes unruly, however I do not believe that the entire gathering should be ruined if it is only the fault of some individuals.

Protests that start off peaceful can quickly become unmanageable if the group getting together is large enough. There needs to be an ordinance in place so a situation that gets out of control can be handled.

A group of 10 or more persons conducting unlawful behavior could be considered an unlawful assembly, according to the revised ordinance. This means if just a few people misbehave, an entire demonstration could be ruined. There are still more issues that need to be addressed in the ordinance, so I appreciate the decision being postponed to receive more feedback from the public. It is important to have an open dialogue about the ordinance and listen to the concerns of the public. It would not be right to pass it without addressing these concerns.

Hanna Markezich

Columnist

I do not think Dekalb needs to pass the unlawful assemblies ordinance. During the first week of school, students participated in Martin Luther King Jr. week events on campus. There was no misconduct that occurred. NIU President Doug Baker even participated in the week’s events and listened to the concerns students had.

I believe students who participate in protests are expressing their opinions in a professional manner. The City Council cannot stop students from attending events, like the march for peace in Chicago. Students that attend are aware their actions reflect us here at NIU.

The ordinance mentions the use of cannabis as a reason to consider an assembly illegal. In this case, it makes no sense to target protestors for drug use when the entire city should not be using illegal drugs either way. Students are fighting for the right to be heard; the city council cannot take away the voices of the students.

Faith Mellenthin

Columnist

There are several specific changes I think should be made before the unlawful assemblies ordinance is considered.

To avoid violating the First Amendment, the law should not be written based on restrictions. It makes sense to want a law to help keep large gatherings peaceful, but it is not fair to hold an entire crowd accountable to just a few people’s actions. The best approach would be to define a peaceful crowd, not to redefine the Illinois ordinance on mob action with stricter detail.

If written carefully and correctly, I believe an ordinance could be useful for the safety of those who gather in large numbers. When guided by a vague description of what “disturbing the peace” means, it is hard to know exactly where to draw the line. The definition of “disturbing the peace” could range from violence to an offending phrase depending on who was breaking up the assembly.