Critical Mass Ruling

According to this report, a  federal judge has upheld the application of parade permit rules to the Critical Mass bicycle protests.  Henceforth, participants will be required to apply for a permit from the City if they number 50 or more riders.  Although the riders object that the permit schemes are onerous and will deprive their gatherings of expressive spontaneity, courts have routinely upheld similar requirements on safety and public order grounds.  Permit schemes are a firmly entrenched part of what some political sociologists have called the "public order management system."