A new town policy differentiates demonstrations, protests and vigils from other planned outdoor events. It will allow organizers to register this type of event two days in advance and promotes logistical communication between organizers and the Town. These new guidelines clarify the registration process for a separate category of outdoors events that require less scrutinous code review, according to Town Manager Robert Houseman.
The policy addresses demonstrations, public protests and vigils that “do not trip the threshold of structures, tents, electrical amplification and those types of things” that require more ample code review are not required to notify the Town of their planned event, Houseman said.
“They just happen … whether we have a registration form or not,” Houseman said. “... As long as they don’t impede the public way, it’s free speech.”
However, many local organizers still registered demonstrations, public protests and vigils that did not need code review under the Town’s outdoor events permit, which required seven business days in advance for events.
“We realized that [the outdoor events permit] was being used as the protest form,” Houseman said. “And our desire was to separate the two.”
The new registration form for demonstrations, public protests and vigils aims to “create an open communication channel and not a permit process,” Houseman said.
“You’ll notice that on the Town’s version of the form, there’s no authorization for Town approval,” Houseman said. “Once it’s filed, it’s good to go, as long as it’s held on private land, the private land owner, including the College, has approved it.”
Hanover Selectboard member Jennie Chamberlain wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth that the new policy intends to promote, rather than hinder, free speech in Hanover.
“It is my perspective that the Town guidelines for organizers should be viewed as a means to facilitate communication and public safety while protecting people’s right to speak and assemble,” she wrote. “And that these guidelines are not intended to clamp down on impromptu protests, but rather to set up some protocols to help organizers and Town staff work together and remain in direct communication.”
The policy shortens the timeline to register events that take place on campus, according to civic expression, engagement and learning director Edward McKenna.
In the past, students looking to organize demonstrations, public protests and vigils on College-owned property had to fill out an outdoor events permit eight days in advance, with one additional day on top of the Town’s seven-day deadline to give Dartmouth’s Conferences and Events office “a day to turn it around,” McKenna said.
This long turnaround posed obstacles to many Dartmouth students, faculty and staff, according to senior vice president for community and campus life Jennifer Rosales, who has worked with students to plan vigils in the past. It made it difficult to respond to current events “in the moment” because they needed to wait for approval.
“Right when I had started [at Dartmouth], there was a vigil that a group of graduate students wanted to put together for a murder that was taking place in India,” Rosales said. “...We had to respond to that in [the] moment, and that was kind of like the ‘aha’ moment for me… It kind of set in motion, for me at least, an example of what I heard students, faculty and staff were saying when we were having these conversations about [how] the permit time doesn’t really work.”
Rosales said she spoke with Houseman about speeding up the registration process for demonstrations, public protests and vigils.
“We went back and forth, and he talked to his team and his folks were able to propose what we have now,” Rosales said.
The new policy also clarifies the techniques that the Hanover Police Department will use if demonstrations, public protests or vigils need intervention. Hanover Police Chief James Martin notes that Houseman incorporated practices the police department focuses on, like de-escalation.
Community organizer Deborah Nelson said she believes that the new policy and registration form benefit those exercising their right to free speech.
“It’s to have that conversation and say, should this go bad, what strategies can we follow?” Nelson said. “But it’s not about the police coming in.”
