RAPID CITY (AP) - A police department in South Dakota has denied a permit for a march that organizers say was to protest against police brutality.
Rapid City Police Chief Karl Jegeris cited public safety concerns as his reason to reject the application for the march. The rally would have begun outside a civic center Friday during the annual Lakota Nation Invitational, an event that's part basketball tournament and part family reunion for tribal members.
Eagle Butte resident Cody Hall submitted the permit application. He tells the Rapid City Journal Jegeris' decision is a violation of the First Amendment right to assemble.
Hall says the march was intended to draw attention to the need for improved race relations in Rapid City.
Jegeris says he's willing to work with Hall to accommodate the request.
