“NBC 15 News has learned an event featuring former President Donald Trump as the keynote speaker that was being planned for this Saturday at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park was nixed after park commissioners became wary. ‘After the request was made, then there was contact with the Republican Party, they contacted us and then it became apparent that it was going to be a partisan political event, rather than just a patriotic event planned for that evening,’ commission chairman Bill Tunnell. Tunnell says commissioners sought an opinion from the attorney general’s office in late May. NBC 15 News obtained Attorney General Steve Marshall’s response which stated there was little time for a formal opinion but did note the park may be used for political events provided access is ‘available for all political parties and candidates on an equal basis.'”

“The state park has been used for political events previously. In 2012, presidential hopeful Rick Santorum used the park for a rally. ‘Rick Santorum was the, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. And that’s when the commission went to the no partisan politics open to the public,’ said Tunnell. ‘I’ll be honest, I feel some people just didn’t want it, not just it but President Trump,’ said local Tea Party activist Pete Riehm. Riehm, who was familiar with the behind the scenes discussions of the event, says what happened raises free speech concerns. ‘If people can’t assemble in public places. Where can we assemble?’ said Riehm” – NBC 15.