Toledo Police have devised a tentative setup for the planned National Socialist Movement rally in downtown Toledo next month, which calls for both police and a boulevard to be between members of the group and the public.

The rally, slated for 3:30 p.m. April 18, also will close a significant portion of downtown to vehicle and pedestrian traffic and will be secured by several area law enforcement agencies. Streets, including parts of Adams, Superior, North Michigan, North Erie, and Beech, will begin to close to vehicles and pedestrians at 11 a.m. April 18. Street parking will shut down the night before.

Members of the public who come to watch the rally, or to protest against it, will be let in to a designated area, just south of Jackson Boulevard between North Erie and North Huron, at 2:30 p.m. The rally is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. in front of One Government Center. The National Socialist Movement has a two-hour permit, police say. No backpacks, purses, or signs on posts will be allowed into the area.

Police will form a line separating protesters from the neo-Nazis.

Police said the top priority is public safety, and they said they will be prepared if the crowd becomes unruly. Units from Toledo Police, Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be present, as well as officers from Ottawa and Wood counties.

Toledo police said plans for the rally are tentative and could change as the event nears.

First Published March 26, 2015, 3:57 p.m.