Judge OKs Inauguration Security

A federal judge has ruled that the rights of protesters are not violated by security and spectator arrangements for the inauguration Saturday of President-elect Bush.

U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler called security checkpoints on the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route a logistical nightmare but said they would not be used to limit participation by demonstrators.

Three key sites on or near the avenue will provide demonstrators an opportunity to get their message out and it is reasonable to limit protesters to 5,600 square feet of Freedom Plaza, Kessler held.

The judge agreed with the protesters' contention that a District of Columbia law requiring individuals to get written permission from the police chief before making public speeches is unconstitutional. But, she noted, that law has not been enforced in over 25 years.

The checkpoints, an inaugural first, will require parade-goers to submit to bag and, in some cases, body searches.

Police and protesters are predicting the largest inaugural demonstrator presence since tens of thousands marched against the Vietnam War in 1973. Authorities are concerned because many of the likely demonstrators participated in recent protests that resulted in violence and hundreds of arrests.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Lawrence said as many as 750,000 people may attend Saturday's inaugural events and have to pass through the 10 parade checkpoints. But Kessler, who said she has attended inaugural parades, said she had trouble visualizing how the security would operate without creating bottlenecks on the "nation's avenue."

"That's going to make a whole lot of people, it seems to me, awfully mad," the judge said at a hearing Thursday.

Under questioning, Lawrence presented more security details, which protesters charge have been deliberately withheld to make it difficult for them to plan demonstrations and legal challenges.

Officers at checkpoints, half a block back from Pennsylvania Avenue, will inspect bags, coolers and even large coats for weapons or objects that could be used as weapons, he said.

"It's not to keep people out, it's meant to keep implements out," Lawrence said. "If you have a backpack full of bricks, those bricks aren't going to be allowed in."

While most people will not be frisked, officers may do so if they spot something suspicious - the outline of a gun in a jacket pocket, for example, Lawrence said. He added that the security applied to everyone, and protesters would not be targeted.

For protest signs at the inaugural parade, Lawrence said demonstrators along the route would be bound by the rules used for the sidewalk outside the White House: Signs of certain sizes and materials are allowed, but sound equipment like speakers and props like puppets and statues anything that could be used as a weapon or conceal an explosive are banned.

Law enforcement officials fret because many of the probable demonstrators took part in recent protests that led to violence and hundreds of arrests.

"They can do whatever as long it doesn't get out of hand and doesn't interfere with the procession and doesn't jeopardize the safety and security of those coming to watch the event or those participating in the event," District of Columbia Police Chief Charles Ramsey said. "We'll be as gentle or as forceful as we need to be."

Protest organizers, who say their turnout may exceed 20,000, blame police for past conflicts and say they plan no civil disobedience for Saturday.

Panes of bulletproof glass were installed Wednesday on a platform erected outside the Capitol's West Front, where more than 1,000 dignitaries will join Bush for the inauguration. Photographers invited for an advance look said stairwells covered in bulletproof material had been built on either side of where Bush will stand.