A group called iMatter is planning on holding a “Marade” in Salt Lake City, Utah. The overall purpose of the Marade is to bring attention to the topic of climate change. The Utah Department of Transportation is requiring the group to purchase an insurance policy, that would cost at least $2,500, in order to hold the event. This could, potentially, force the Marade to change the location of the event, days before it is scheduled to be held.
The group, or movement, called iMatter was founded by a teenager named Alec Loorz, who is from Ventura, California. The iMatter movement is a non-profit organization that is designed for kids to learn about science and climate change. Alec Loorz was inspired to create iMatter after watching the movie “An Inconvenient Truth”, which was made by Vice President Al Gore.
The Marade march is part of 47 marches that are planned in 23 States and in six different countries. Some of the people in the Marade will be pushing “human powered floats”. It is my understanding that there will judges awarding prizes to the floats, as part of a contest. It is expected that somewhere between 50 and 100 people will attend. The Utah Marade is intended to take place on May 7, 2011.
Before the Marade can take place as planned, however, there is an insurance issue that must be resolved. The Marade route was going to start at the federal courthouse on State Street in Salt Lake City, and will end at the Live Green Salt Lake City Festival at Library Square. The Utah Department of Transportation is refusing to grant the application to iMatter unless the group purchases an insurance policy that costs at least $2,500.
UDOT says that all groups that want to participate in a city parade must purchase at least that amount of insurance before they will get approved to hold the parade. The group also must create a traffic management plan, which UDOT will also need to approve of. Another requirement involves getting participants in the Marade to sign waivers and releases.
The ACLU has gotten involved, claiming that those requirements infringe upon the free-speech rights of the people who might not decide to join the rally until the last minute. They also argued that the insurance requirement infringes upon on iMatter’s right to assemble and exercise free speech. They point out that iMatter cannot afford to pay for the expensive insurance policy.
There was a request for a temporary restraining order filed by iMatter, which has been denied by a federal judge. Attorneys for iMatter say that if the insurance is so important then UDOT should pay for it. Attorneys representing UDOT said in court that it would be too costly for UDOT to waive the insurance requirement for indigent groups that cannot afford to pay for an event. They also said that iMatter can use an alternate route for the Marade, that would be on sidewalks, instead of on the street.
Image by Michael Borkson on Flickr