Commission fails to change law on protests at Augusta National

AUGUSTA - Augusta Richmond County commissioners have failed to change an ordinance that would affect protests outside Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters tournament. <br> <br> The proposal would have required demonstrators to give at least 30 days notice of their plans to picket and to require the sheriff to approve or reject the application within ten business days. <br> <br> The commission split five-five in a vote Tuesday. The five commissioners who opposed the ordinance are black; the five who supported it are white. <br> <br> Mayor Bob Young could have broken the tie, but he was away for a conference. He says he doesn&#39;t know how he would have voted. <br> <br> That means the National Council of Women&#39;s Organizations and the Reverend Jesse Jackson&#39;s Rainbow-Push Coalition can wait until just before the tournament in April to get a protest permit. <br> <br> Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson has said repeatedly a woman will not be invited to join before April. <br> <br> The proposal could be reconsidered next month.