Well, it's been a whole year, at least twelve months after my original post about how this event has continued to harass those engaged in their First Amendment right to freedom of expression, by performing casually on the grounds of this public park during this free event. I'm still asking why this festival is harassing, demonizing and victimizing Folk performers at this 'supposed' Folk music event and still getting absolutely no response from the organizers of this event.

During January of 2011, I wanted to take a look at all of the hard work that this event's organizers have been doing to reform their rules and regulations, restricting the constitutional rights and freedoms of Americans on this, one of the nation's biggest national holidays, where we remember the sacrifices made by those who have protected our rights and freedoms in this country. So, I took a glance at the newly redesigned website that the NW Folklife event has worked so diligently at posting for the 2011 festival.

Guess what I found? This event has not done a single solitary thing to align their rules with those of expressed in our Constitution regarding our First Amendment right to freedom of expression on public property. Nor is this event in compliance with the ruling of 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and their decision regarding the same issue. The Court has already made plain their decision regarding the attempts by commercial interests in trying to enact rules restricting our freedom of expression on public property. The court case is 108 pages long. The five page brief of this decision, the first five pages of the document, says it all and then some.

http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2009/06/24/05-35752.pdf

According to 8 out of the 11 judges in this 9th Circuit Court decision, street performing is a protected right. Simply put, that means that this event has no right to support regulations that restrict our First Amendment rights.

NW F_ _ _klife is guilty of violating our freedoms, on Memorial Day weekend, by acting to illegally enforce unconstitutional restrictions to our freedoms, shredding our constitutional rights like so much confetti and mocking the very foundation of this, our great nation. Furthermore, they disgrace the sacrifices made by every American who has ever had to stand up to defend our rights and freedoms and more importantly, they disgrace all those brave Americans who have had to lay down their lives for our rights freedoms. That's what truly sickens me about this event! They callously ignore all those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our way of life and at the same time, they continue to deny American Folk music performers our constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression on public property using threats of violence, harassment and police force.

Every American who believes in our Constitutional rights and freedoms should stand up to be counted in this issue and force this mockery of justice to end.