Police deny road closure permit for 'tea party' protest

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By Tim Chitwood | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

COLUMBUS, Ga. — The "Patriots for Freedom" won't be free to block Boxwood Boulevard for a rally Sunday.

The group loosely affiliated with area "tea parties" that protest government spending had planned to have bands playing and people speaking from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. To get set up for the event, it wanted Boxwood closed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Macon Road and Midtown Drive. So it applied to the Columbus Police Department for a permit. And the police said no.

Why?

Because closing the road would block the primary route into a residential area back behind the Columbus Public Library, police said.

The man who applied for the permit, Charles Wells, disagreed, saying motorists could use Midtown Drive to circumvent the "Patriots for Freedom."

"It don't affect nobody," Wells said Tuesday as he appealed to Columbus Council.

Read more at Ledger-Enquirer.com

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