With 10 days to spare, organizers of a March 28 No Kings protest and march in downtown Appleton secured a special-event permit that’s needed to close city streets near Houdini Plaza.
The Appleton Common Council voted unanimously March 18 to overturn an earlier denial of the permit by staff. The permit automatically had been denied because the permit application was submitted 37 days in advance of the event, short of the 45 days that the city requires.
Council member Sheri Hartzheim emphasized that the council’s vote to overturn the denial shouldn’t be interpreted as “a statement about the particular event.”
No Kings demonstrations are part of a nationwide resistance to President Donald Trump, who organizers say is acting like a monarch with unchecked powers.
According to the permit application, organizers expect the No Kings event to attract 4,000 people. It will start at 3 p.m. with a rally at Houdini Plaza and an include a march before ending at 5 p.m. The march will proceed east on College Avenue, north on Durkee Street, west of Washington Street, south on Morrison Street and west on College, returning to Houdini Plaza.
Katie Olson, lead organizer of the event and executive director of ESTHER, apologized for missing the application deadline, noting her team was coordinating with a larger organization that picked the March 28 date. A previous No Kings protest in Appleton didn’t include a march in the streets, so no permit was required.
In late February, the city’s Safety and Licensing Committee recommended overturning the denial of the permit, contingent upon the approval of a traffic-control plan. When the matter reached the council on March 4, it was referred back to committee to allow more time to finalize the plan.
Olson said the original march route, which would have proceeded from Houdini Plaza to the parking lot of the Outagamie County Justice Center, raised safety concerns, so organizers, in cooperation with city staff, developed the revised route using College, Durkee, Washington and Morrison.
“This route allows the march to remain moving, rather than concentrating people in one congregated area,” Olson said.
Police Chief Polly Olson said that to maintain safety, the event will require overtime pay for eight officers, which is consistent with how the department handles other similarly sized special events.
The permit holder will be assessed 25% of the cost of city services provided for the event, in accordance with policy. The balance of the cost is borne by the city.
Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X at @DukeBehnke.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Upon appeal, Appleton grants permit for March 28 No Kings march
Reporting by Duke Behnke, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
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