Friday, March 25, 2005 | 9 a.m.
Patricia van Betten is a 68-year-old retired nurse who has a question for Sheriff Bill Young: "Do Metro Police officers need a refresher course in the U.S. Constitution?"
She's referring to an incident Saturday night during a peace rally on the Strip. When she and other marchers reached the Bellagio, they were confronted by police. Several marchers were arrested. Her experience reflects a pattern. Whenever marchers go anywhere near a Strip hotel, they are blocked and dispersed by aggressive Metro officers. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada says a video clearly shows officers telling the marchers they needed a permit.
In 2002 the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that sidewalks in front of Las Vegas resorts are public forums protected by the First Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal, ending the question for all time. The MGM Grand, which owns the sidewalk in front of the Bellagio, acknowledges that it's a public forum. And a Metro Police spokesman said Monday he was unaware of any permit that protesters would need.
Yet, according to the video and accounts by marchers, Metro officers took it upon themselves to end the rally. In our view, there is a one-word answer to van Betten's question: Yes.
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