ACLU: Settlement allows musician to play on public property

January 6, 2016 2:31 pm

By News Staff

news@abc6.com

The Associated Press

The city of Providence can no longer stop a local street musician from performing on public property.

That’s according to a settlement reached Wednesday in a federal lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit in July on behalf of 62-year-old Manuel Pombo.

The ACLU says the settlement allows Pombo to perform on public property without a permit and solicit donations.

Pombo says he’s been playing his saxophone on public sidewalks around the capital city for more than two decades.

The ACLU says Pombo was ordered by police to stop playing his saxophone several times last spring, leading him to seek legal advice.

A spokesman for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

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