Our determined leaders at Associated Students Inc., are joining up with the California State Student Association and Student Center for Community Colleges for another mass demonstration on March 22, in front of the Capitol. In order to make it all happen, CSSA had to apply for permits in advance.I’ll never understand why there must always be red tape to do anything in government, but it’s nothing unfamiliar to me. After all, I did grow up in Davis, where you need a permit to build a treehouse or install a new dishwasher. While I love the idea of being able to do whatever I want when I want, I must agree that protest permits at the Capitol are a necessary evil. “I know that a lot of people feel that it’s bad,” said ASI President Roberto Torres. “It’s the perception that … you’re asking The Man to fight The Man.”The irony is a bit much. How do we trust those that grant permits to not abuse their power and deny the public their right to peacefully assemble?”The CHP has a responsibility for making the rules and regulations of … state security,” said California Highway Patrol Permit Officer Keith Troy. “If you’re bringing 10,000 people we need to know that.”Freedom of speech is awesome, but a mass protest is still a public event, and public events need to be planned out. Olgalilia Ramirez, CSSA director of government relations, said groups are required to apply for a permit at least 10 business days in advance with the Office of Capitol Protection. Ramirez doesn’t consider applying for a permit to be a burden, but had an explanation for why it was necessary to get one.”The reason why it’s such a tedious process I believe is there’s several groups that want to protest at the capitol,” said Ramirez. “It’s fairly simple &- it’s the state’s space.”But wait, isn’t the state’s space also the public’s space? Last time I checked, the money used to maintain the Capitol came courtesy of We the People. If I am paying for that space to be kept up, so shouldn’t I be able to use it whenever I want?Troy said he only denies permits when another group has already reserved space at the Capitol. After all, crowd control can get a bit tricky if 10,000 people arrive to protest fee hikes and then another group of 5,000 shows up the same day to complain about gay marriage. “You can do pretty much anything you want when it comes to demonstrations as long as it’s not commercial in nature,” said Troy. “A lot of times … a company wants to sell hamburgers and … I have to tell them “You can’t do that’.”So, come March 22, Schwarzenegger and the Legislature will have to once again face students who have had enough and want changes made to their system, thanks to the CSSA’s effort to get permits.So don’t waste this opportunity to let the Legislature hear your voices again. On March 22, make sure you are screaming at the Capitol with the rest of your student body.Julia Baum can be reached at [email protected]