Veterans group asks Juneau Assembly to review July 4 parade rules after sign ejection

A Juneau veteran said parade organizers barred him from the Fourth of July parade over his anti-war sign. He brought the dispute to the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly on Monday.

K.J. Metcalf, a member of Veterans for Peace Chapter 100, said his sign read "Wars: immoral, illegal." "I was stopped as the parade started to come out of the staging area, and I felt ashamed," Metcalf said. "I felt that my sign was not hate speech, it was protected speech."

Douglas Mertz, a retired civil rights attorney, said the parade committee operates under a 2004 borough resolution that insured it at public expense. Metcalf was removed "on public streets by a group authorized by the borough insured for liability by the borough," Mertz said, and backed by the police department enforcing what organizers wanted. Mertz asked the Assembly to apologize to Metcalf and to create a task force or committee to reexamine the parade's rules and procedures. He warned of "tremendous potential liability" when the borough delegates the right to interfere with a citizen's civil rights. Asked by an Assembly member whether the organizers had the right to set such a policy, Mertz said they "have the right to make all kinds of policies as long as they don't infringe on people's constitutional rights."

The exchange reflects a question that recurs where private organizers run permitted events on public streets. At issue is how far viewpoint restrictions can go when an event occupies public space under municipal authorization. One Assembly member noted that the organization operating the parade is a nonprofit and, on that understanding, could set its own rules. The rule at issue, reported earlier this year, bars entries involving political opposition, picket signs or language that "incite hateful language." Organizers have framed such restrictions as viewpoint-neutral measures meant to keep the parade a family-friendly celebration rather than as a bar on any particular message. No organizer spoke at Monday's meeting.

Craig Wilson, Chapter 100's president, said organizers changed the parade's focus and rules without consulting the borough or the public. "I see it as the Assembly's responsibility to restore the social license," Wilson said. He asked the Assembly to formally restate the 2004 measure authorizing the parade committee, Resolution 2265, and to declare the Fourth of July parade a community event of special significance. He also asked the Assembly to appoint one of its members to work with the Juneau Festival Association, attend planning meetings and report back on parade planning and execution. The Assembly took no action.