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Pershing Square Cites Holiday Preparations in Denying Permit for Jon Stewart's 'Rally To Restore Sanity'
Detail of the L.A. rally logo
There was major disappointment earlier this week when organizers of the L.A. offshoot of Jon Stewart's rally in Washington D.C. were denied a permit to gather in downtown's Pershing Square. Officials with L.A.'s Recreation and Parks Department told the LA Weekly the park could not accommodate crowds as it prepares for Downtown on Ice, which begins November 18th and were willing to work with organizers in finding a venue one of the city's other 400 parks. Organizers of the "Rally to Restore Insanity: Los Angeles," however, say they were not informed until the last minute, when they were about to deliver their deposit. "We are very disappointed to have been given this information after two weeks of discussions," they posted to their Facebook page.
Nonetheless, they are looking forward and considering every possible venue, including the original site on Wilshire Boulevard outside the Federal Building, according to the LA Times. They are also hoping they can raise $16,000 to purchase an LED screen to broadcast the rally from D.C. via Comedy Central. As of Wednesday, they had nearly $5,000.
The rally is scheduled for October 30th and is just one of the many "shadow" ones planned across the country and beyond.