In Sparrow v. Goodman, 361 F.Supp. 566 (W.D.N.C.1973), plaintiffs, who were excluded from a public gathering at which the President appeared, brought an action for injunctive relief and for damages for false arrest and assault under 42 U.S.C. 1983. The court ordered the case for damages to be set for trial and observed that the evidence adduced at the hearing in connection with the issuance of an injunction indicated that plaintiffs had been excluded solely because they had opposed, or because their appearance had suggested that they opposed, the President. The court determined that the reason for exclusion was plaintiffs' political beliefs, and that there was no evidence to suggest that plaintiffs presented a threat to the President's safety. Moreover, in rejecting the asserted justification of presidential security, the court stated that it was unwilling to assume, without proof, that the asserted justification was valid. 361 F.Supp. at 586.