Downtown Austin protest ends with 2 arrests

What are the requirements to protest in Austin?

A protest in downtown Austin ended with two people arrested near the Travis County Jail.

AUSTIN, Texas - A protest in downtown Austin ended with two people arrested near the Travis County Jail. 

About a dozen people marched up and down Guadalupe Street on Wednesday, Oct. 22, for an event that started a little after 5 p.m. 

Video showed protesters blocking traffic as Austin police and DPS Troopers arrived. 

Two people were eventually arrested when the group stopped at 10th St. and San Antonio. Ironically, that location is next to the Travis County Jail.

Dig deeper:

In Austin, permits are required for protest events that involve street closures, and for the state capitol grounds. Permission is also needed for the use of city park land and the plaza at city hall. 

A permit is not needed if a public sidewalk is used for protesting, demonstrations or picketing activity. But you can't set up tables on sidewalks, and you can't block doorways or driveways.

Local perspective:

FOX 7 spoke to security analyst Wayne Vincent about the incident. According to Vincent, "access" and "obstruction" are the keywords protest organizers need to remember and understand.

"The right to protest does not mean you're immune from other traffic laws or any other laws. You have to do it in a manner in which you're not violating or obstructing any traffic," said Vincent.

Several protests have recently taken place in Austin and nationally. The media coverage can create some misconceptions about what can and cannot be done.

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"You're taking your chances. When you do see an impromptu protest happen, where they block a bridge, for instance, a lot of times there'll be some supervisory decision by the police not to interrupt that, but legally they can. So, you're taking your chances if you don't have permission to block any area of traffic. If you don't already have permission, you are subject to arrest," said Vincent.

Staying in public areas, not trespassing, and not blocking traffic will prevent a trip to jail. But there will be times, Vincent warns, where you may be ordered by the police to move to a different area.

"Listen to the police, if they're allowing you to protest, but they are going to maybe give you some instructions on where you can do it, where it's safe, listen to the police, otherwise you'd be subject to arrest for disobeying a lawful order from a police officer," said Vincent.

The two arrests were made by DPS and Travis County. The charges include:

• Resisting Arrest
• Interference with Public Duties
• Assault of a Peace Officer
• Evading Arrest
• Obstructing Highway Passageway
• Riot Participation

The protester, who was arrested by a Travis County deputy, had his resisting charge rejected by a prosecutor with the county attorney's office. But, a personal recognizance bond was set for the interfering charge. 

For the other protester, most of the state charges remain. His bond totals $25,000.