Police deny event permit for local neo-Nazi group

Posted to Police Beat by Kathleen Pointer at 7:38 p.m., Sept. 2, 2008

The Columbia Police Department rejected an application for a parade and special event permit from the Missouri chapter of the National Socialist Movement. The release, sent out by CPD Interim Chief Tom Dresner, stated the permit was from Steven Boswell and that it requested a permit to host a parade from Watson Place to Boone County Courthouse on Nov. 8, 2008 from 12 to 5 p.m. The request stated that the group would hold a rally after the parade at Boone County Courthouse.

Dresner said the permit had been denied because the MU football game against Kansas State is scheduled to take place that day and that both events would create too much city-wide security for the police force to reasonably cover.

If the group requests another permit for a different date the CPD will take the lead in forming meetings with city leaders as it did before,  Dresner said.

In March of 2007 the National Socialist Movement held a march protesting the MU Journalism school.