On June 5, my husband and I walked downtown to attend a reading by Rochester author Steven Huff at Greenwood Books. The difficulties encountered while trying to go to that event site - which is within East End Festival space - has left me with many questions.

A primary one: How can private money-making event organizers - even with a permit - deny citizens access to businesses within public space? And how much oversight does the City of Rochester have over such events?

When we tried to enter East Avenue where the festival was going on, we first discovered it was necessary to enter at the gate and pay $3, since Greenwood Books is within the fenced-off area of the festival. When we told the person taking entrance money that we were not attending the festival but were attending a reading, he still demanded the fee.

We asked him to call his superior, who also said we could not enter without paying. Thereupon we told two nearby police officers about our problem and said we were willing to be arrested in order to assert our civil rights to enter a public space.

One of the officers contacted a higher up, who said we should be able to enter without paying. He escorted us to the gate, where the keeper grudgingly allowed us to enter.

Other friends who had Greenwood Books as a destination were not even able to get to the gate. Arriving downtown by car, they had to turn around and go home because of the congestion. The music noise level for those living downtown must be unbearable.

My final question: We know the City of Rochester wants to make downtown an attractive destination, but is the East End Festival, as it is now organized, really good for downtown?

(The positive thing about our evening: hearing a great reading by Steve Huff from his new book, "A Pig in Paris." I recommend it!)

MARILYN ANDERSON, ROCHESTER