DALLAS (AP) — By their own admission, the officials in charge of the ceremony marking President John F. Kennedy's death have set up a relatively complex process for those wanting to attend.
About 5,000 people will be able to attend the Nov. 22 ceremony at Dealey Plaza. Those who want to attend can request tickets on a website set up for the event, but each person can request no more than two tickets.
All requests must be in by July 31, and those who get tickets expected to be notified by Oct. 1. About three-quarters of the public tickets will be reserved for residents of Dallas and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Rawlings said.
Kennedy was shot in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, and officials have worked for months to honor JFK with what Mayor Mike Rawlings described as a "serious" and "simple" memorial. Celebrated historian David McCullough is scheduled to read from JFK's speeches at the ceremony, and church bells will toll throughout the city at 12:30 p.m.
Police will run a criminal background check on every person who applies for a ticket. Dallas Police First Assistant Chief Charles Cato said the department would screen for a history of violence or other signs of trouble, but would not say what crimes, if any, would be disqualifying.
Rawlings pledged that officials would not target anyone based on their point of view about the assassination, which continues to be a point of strong debate a half-century later. But he was also circumspect about what might be a red flag.
"If we see anything that we think raises an alarm on any issue, we're not going to give them tickets," Rawlings said.
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Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
