Officials Feared Lawsuit by Supremacist : Demonstrations: The Nationalist Movement was allowed to assemble because the city was concerned that refusal would trigger a costly legal action over free speech.

Simi Valley officials said Monday that they allowed white supremacist Richard Barrett to assemble in Simi Valley partly because the Mississippi attorney told them that he has made a habit of going to court against local officials who try to muzzle him.

Concerned about a possible lawsuit, city officials refused to give Barrett a parade permit but allowed him to assemble Saturday with a few followers. The city also supplied dozens of police officers to protect the group.

“I know he has a history of suing government agencies and taking them all the way to the Supreme Court,” Assistant City Manager Mike Sedell said. “He was citing cases to us the first day he met with us.”

Barrett, leader of the Nationalist Movement, sought to parade in support of the Rodney G. King beating trial verdict. But the procession was called off after Simi Valley police told him that they could not guarantee his safety in the face of 300 angry counterdemonstrators in the parking lot at Simi Valley City Hall.

On Monday, Simi Valley officials were considering sending a bill to Los Angeles County, where the beating trial originated, for costs associated with preserving the peace during Barrett’s appearance.

But at the same time, city officials said they do not expect to be hauled into court by Barrett over his canceled parade.

“We believe the city’s on very safe ground, that the city and the Police Department handled it within the letter of the law,,” Sedell said. “We believe we protected his First Amendment right (to free speech) completely. We did not keep him from marching.”

It was Barrett who agreed to be escorted from the boisterous demonstration scene in a police van, city officials said.

Although Barrett told Simi Valley officials that he has gone to court against several local governments, Sedell was only acquainted with one case, involving Forsyth County, Ga.

Simi Valley officials said the case concerned a refusal to issue a parade permit to Barrett. Officials in Georgia could not be reached late Monday to elaborate on the case.

Barrett, who was widely available for interviews before Saturday’s demonstration, maintained a lower profile Monday. He did not return calls placed to his Los Angeles area answering service or his Mississippi headquarters.

City officials said the attorney has told them that he has used funds received through his First Amendment lawsuits to finance his organization’s cable television programs and other activities. These comments caused some Simi Valley officials to fear that the purpose of his parade bid was to set the stage for a costly lawsuit.

But on Monday, a Simi Valley police intelligence investigator who researched Barrett said, “My opinion is that he’s not a scam artist. My understanding is that he’s very sincere in his beliefs.”

The investigator, who asked that his name be withheld because of the sensitive nature of his work, added, “He may support some of his activities through the proceeds of lawsuits. But I don’t think he’s going to get rich off of it.”

Simi Valley Police Chief Lindsey P. Miller said he will not know until the end of the week how much it cost to provide about 75 police officers and civilians to help maintain order on Saturday. Under a mutual aid pact, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department provided another 60 deputies to assist.

Five adult counterdemonstrators and one juvenile were arrested in Saturday’s incident, and two officers received minor injuries. Police have begun reviewing videotapes of the event for other evidence of lawbreaking, but no additional arrests were made Monday.

Sedell said Simi Valley may seek reimbursement from Los Angeles County because the event stemmed from the King beating verdict. He said Simi Valley may also be eligible for federal aid to cities affected by the verdict and the civil unrest that it ignited.

Janice Luder, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Superior Court, said no written requests for funds have been received from Simi Valley police. She said the Superior Court had no agreement with Simi Valley police for any services related to the King beating trial.