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Council Bans Posted Handbills

Council Bans Posted Handbills image
Parent Issue
Day
9
Month
August
Year
1974
OCR Text

Council Bans Posted Handbills

After losing several cases in court, City Council has tightened the city’s handbill ordinance, making it illegal to post advertisements or circulars on any public structure, building or public way.

Under the strengthened law, it will now be illegal to put handbills on lamp posts, shade trees, garbage cans, fences, parking meters, traffic signs, and fire hydrants.

Beyond simply making it illegal to post handbills (meaning the police will haul you off to the city jail if you’re seen sticking a flyer on a garbage can on the diag), the law further prohibits people from causing them to be posted. Under this provision, the city will have an excuse for prosecuting the advertiser and the producer, meaning they could now take film groups or political candidates (of the SUN) to court for having their name on a flyer.

As Councilwoman Kathy Kozachenko pointed out, “this is one of the few ways people who don’t have much money to communicate.” But the new law makes it illegal, thus prohibiting inexpensive means of communications. Councilmember Jaimie Kenworthy pointed out that it may be thrown out of court on the basis of infringing on the right of free speech.

Despite the stricter ordinance, handbills are likely to remain a problem as long as there is no better way to handle cheap communications. Although the SUN has tried to press the city into setting up community billboards to end the unsightly lamp posts and trash cans, the city has never given its support for this project. At present, people will either risk prosecution, or have to stop advertising.