Detroit took steps to settle a federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU in January by agreeing to allow downtown demonstrations. The interim rules allow up to 25 people to demonstrate, distribute literature and collect petition signatures without a permit. In February of 2014 security guards prevented citizens from handing out flyers about the bankruptcy problem and soliciting signatures on a petition. (Detroit Free Press, April 8, 2015, by Joe Guillen)
The ACLU of Michigan said the agreement does not dismiss the suit brought against the private security company that manages the downtown park where the citizens were blocked from exercising their free speech rights. (San Francisco Chronicle, April 8, 2015, by the Associated Press)