Too Bad Private Property Is A Public Park-Bloomberg Blog

The right of assembly was originally distinguished from the right to petition. In United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (1875), the Supreme Court held that "the right of the people peaceably to assemble for the purpose of petitioning Congress for a redress of grievances, or for anything else connected with the powers or duties of the National Government, is an attribute of national citizenship, and, as such, under protection of, and guaranteed by, the United States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution