ACLU Sues Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island sued Gov. Dan McKee on behalf of "activists who were intentionally denied access to the State House for a rally and threatened with arrest" before his State of the State address, the ACLU said.

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The same night as the governor's annual address in January, a “People’s State of the State” rally was planned by local groups "to raise awareness about economic disparity in Rhode Island," the ACLU of Rhode Island said in a media release.

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"The rally was supposed to take place in the State House rotunda an hour before the Governor’s State of the State address in the House of Representatives chamber," the release said, but the protesters were "advised that the Governor’s office had instructed State Police and Capitol Police to prevent them from accessing the Rotunda and the upper floors of the State House."

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"Unable to hold their rally in the rotunda, the protesters were instead shunted by police to the 'Bell Room' for their rally, a recessed area in the back of the State House on the first floor located away from the building’s main entrance and elevators, and in a less visible and less accessible location than the rotunda," the release said.

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"The lawsuit argues that the Governor’s reservation of the space and the Capitol and State Police’s actions were undertaken to stifle the protesters’ exercise of their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly," the release said.

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