Drop the lawsuit against the city

Costa Mesa is diverse. It has a wide variety of people, stores, arts

venues and events. The city became more diverse last year when it

welcomed the first Orange County Dyke March.

The Dyke March will make its second appearance on Saturday, but it

didn’t happen easily. And that’s a major problem.

There were a few glitches last year at the Dyke March. In

particular, a participant on a motorcycle performed a stunt that a

Costa Mesa Police officer specifically asked her not to do.

That disregard led the city to compile a list of conditions for

marchers this year that included requiring motorcycle riders to

submit copies of their driver’s licenses. Now, while the city has

every responsibility to its residents to protect itself from possible

injury lawsuits, it seems there could have been another way to go

about this.

But that requirement became part of the city’s 21-condition list.

It also became a sticking point between the city and the Gay &

Lesbian Community Services Center of Orange County, which stages the

rally and march.

The two sides held a series of meetings to resolve the

differences, but this resulted in an American Civil Liberties Union

lawsuit against the city last week. The suit alleged that the city’s

restrictions were “unreasonable” and “unconstitutional.”

Whether that was the case, the city, a day later, dropped most of

the conditions, paving the way for the show to go on. Organizers were

glad the march would no longer be hindered, but have not dropped the

lawsuit.

Several of the city’s conditions were unreasonable and, plainly,

ridiculous, but the lawsuit, too, is ridiculous. As mentioned

earlier, the city has a responsibility to protect itself against

injury lawsuits.

Councilman Mike Scheafer knows this too well, as it was near the

Costa Mesa Fish Fry that a woman injured her ankle on a curb. Even

though she wasn’t even at the event, she happened to be near it at

Orange Coast College and turned around and sued the Lions Club. It

held the Fish Fry up for two years.

The city can’t afford to take such a risk either, and if Dyke

March organizers can back up their marchers with extra insurance --

another condition the city originally required -- then so be it. But

right now, the city is the one taking the risk of injuries, resulting

from what can be dangerous wheelies and other unnecessary motorcycle

stunts.

We urge the organizers to drop the lawsuit and get on with the

march.