Police: Rally Violated City Code
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Two local gatherings – held on May 1 and on May 25, have resulted in charges filed against Alexis Figuereo, who is suspected of organizing the events, and alleging City Codes were violated because permits were not secured in advance of the gatherings.
A summation of the public announcements related to the two events follows:
April 27 – Saratoga BLM Facebook posting. May Day Rally for Palestine, 6 p.m. May 1 at Congress Park.
May 21 – Saratoga Springs Police Department statement, press release.
On May 1, a pre-planned demonstration occurred in the city of Saratoga Springs. The demonstrators did not seek a permit prior to demonstrating in Congress Park, nor did they seek a permit to march on Broadway. These actions constitute violations of City Ordinances; chapters 98 and 151 respectively. Blocking streets without a permit is illegal. Doing so strains police resources, impedes our ability to respond to other calls for service and endangers public safety, as evidenced by the 911 calls made to SSPD during this incident.
The primary organizer of the demonstration has been identified and charged for violating Saratoga Springs City Code 98 Demonstrations and 151 Parades due to not applying for a permit with the city.
May 24 – Saratoga BLM statement, media advisory.
On May 25, Saratoga BLM will be joined by organizations and community leaders across the Capital Region for a joint press conference in Congress Park regarding the recent charges filed against Lexis Figuereo. On Tuesday, May 21, the public was made aware that the Saratoga Springs Police Department would be filing charges against Figuereo for being the “primary organizer” of a May 1 rally for Palestine. Despite the SSPD knowing the event was co-organized by multiple organizations, they chose to single out Figuereo and falsely accuse him with no evidence that he was the primary organizer of said event.
May 29 – Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll, press release.
The city of Saratoga Springs requires that any group planning to demonstrate must submit a document called a “demonstration declaration.” There is no fee for the declaration and this requirement was established by the City in 2005.
The purpose of this document is to provide a way for the Department of Public Safety to work cooperatively with groups organizing demonstrations to ensure that the demonstrators and the public can be safe.
In the case of the May 25 demonstration promoted on the Saratoga Black Lives Matter Facebook page, no such demonstration declaration was received by the Accounts Department. In advance of the demonstration, the Department of Public Safety took the proactive step of notifying Attorney Mark Mishler of the requirement for his client to file a demonstration declaration. Unfortunately, the Department of Public Safety received no response from Mr. Mishler and no demonstration declaration was filed. On May 29, Attorney Mishler accepted an Appearance Ticket on behalf of his client, Alexis A. Figuereo, for violating Chapter 98 of the Saratoga Springs City Code.