Permit for right-wing Crissy Field rally to get 2nd look by officials

The Patriot Prayer rally was tentatively approved for Aug. 26 — before violence erupted at last weekend’s neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Va. The Patriot Prayer rally was tentatively approved for Aug. 26 — before violence erupted at last weekend’s neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Va. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Permit for right-wing Crissy Field rally to get 2nd look by officials 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

The National Park Service on Wednesday acknowledged widespread concern over plans to hold a right-wing rally at Crissy Field in San Francisco next week, and said it would make a decision soon on whether to let the event proceed on the park property.

The superintendent of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, in her first public statement on the event, said the agency was bound to honor free speech rights of the organizers, regardless of their politics, but also would have to account for public safety.

The Patriot Prayer rally was tentatively approved for Aug. 26 — before violence erupted at last weekend’s neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Va. Since then, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, both San Francisco Democrats, and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee have been among many questioning whether the city should risk the possibility of similar bloodshed, and called for the San Francisco event to be canceled.

“We have heard and take very seriously the concerns expressed by the public and elected officials regarding the proposed Aug. 26 Patriot Prayer First Amendment event at Crissy Field,” said the GGNRA’s acting general superintendent, Cicely Muldoon. “Our highest priority is to ensure public safety, while honoring our obligation to uphold one of our nation’s most cherished constitutional rights, the First Amendment right to free speech.”

Muldoon said the Park Service was working with federal, state and local authorities to make sure law enforcement would be sufficient for next week’s planned event. A final determination on the Patriot Prayer permit, she said, would be announced within seven business days. That means the announcement might come as late as the day before the event is scheduled.

The group behind the demonstration has no connection to the Virginia march, where a woman was killed when a suspected neo-Nazi plowed over her with his car, and 19 injured. Also, the main organizer of the San Francisco rally has claimed that his event is not associated with white supremacists. However, at least one of the group’s prior events drew extremists and erupted into clashes with counterprotesters.

The organization has been flagged by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.

Permit applicant Joey Gibson could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

His application calls for a “free speech rally” for 300 people from 2 to 5 p.m. In an email to the park service made available under public records law, Gibson said he expects counterprotesters “because politicians and media have falsely accused Patriot Prayer as a white supremacist rally.”

Officials in Berkeley are also marshaling resources for what has been advertised online as a complementary event to San Francisco’s, the No Marxism in America rally at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on Aug. 27. A posting on the Patriot Prayer Facebook page dubs the two events Liberty Weekend in the Bay Area.

While no permit applications have been submitted for the Berkeley rally, city officials say they’re aware of the online chatter and have experience dealing with recent right-wing demonstrations.

“We’re going to prepare for a number of different contingencies and a number of different possibilities,” said city spokesman Matthai Chakko.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander