By Press Times Staff
HOWARD – Of five people cited for obstruction of traffic July 28 when a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest march took place on village streets, four have pleaded not guilty with one paying a citation, said Municipal Court Clerk Melissa Heim.
She said the four pleading not guilty Tuesday, Sept. 29, include Hannah Lundin of De Pere, who also received an invoice for more than $7,000 for traffic control/security, along with her fiancé, Tevin Taylor, and Elizabeth Calaway and Cheyenne VerVoot.
Heim said all not-guilty pleas are scheduled for a pre-trial conference with the village attorney Oct. 13.
She said Hannah Danen paid $124 for an obstruction of traffic citation.
BLM protests have been held in the Green Bay area in response to George Floyd’s death May 25 when he was in police custody in Minneapolis.
The invoice Lundin received for the protest march in Howard is about 10 times more than another one issued to her for a BLM protest July 14 in Ashwaubenon, where she has refused to pay $763 after public safety officers blocked off streets with the march in progress.
Lundin’s attorney, David Hassel, has disputed the validity of the invoices she received from both municipalities.
Howard Public Safety Director Ed Janke said Lundin did not obtain a parade permit to have village streets blocked off for the march.
He said the villages of Howard and Ashwaubenon both relied on guidelines from the American Civil Liberties Union related to demonstrations and protests where permits could be required, such as a march or parade that does not stay on the sidewalk and other events that require blocking traffic or street closure.