1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

ACLU sues Salt Lake City for Giving/Selling Control of City Block to the Mormons

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by Lil Pun, Aug 8, 2003.

Tags:
  1. Lil Pun

    Lil Pun Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 1999
    Messages:
    34,143
    Likes Received:
    1,038
    SALT LAKE CITY - The American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) filed a federal suit Thursday challenging a deal that gave the Mormon church the right to regulate behavior on a downtown pedestrian block.

    The lawsuit names Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and the city, and asks the court to return control of the Main Street block to the city, which last week signed it over to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    The ACLU accused the city of favoring one religious group over another when it completed a land swap giving up control of the landscaped plaza in exchange for land on which to build a community center.

    "When government shows a preference for one religion it sends a chilling message to non-adherents that they are outsiders, and not full members of the community," Mark Lopez, an ACLU national staff attorney, said in a statement.

    Anderson on Thursday denied the suit's claims, saying the ACLU's legal theories were "very strange indeed." He declined to elaborate, saying he didn't want to reveal the city's legal strategy.

    The church is not named as a defendant, but is considering intervening in the case, said church attorney Alan Sullivan.

    On July 28, the city and the church closed a deal to trade two acres of church-owned land and $388,000 in church funds for the Main Street easement. Federal courts had ruled that the city's sidewalk easement carried free speech rights the church could not curtail.

    Plaintiffs in the suit are the Utah Gospel Mission, the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City, a pro-nuclear disarmament group, the Utah chapter of the National Organization for Women (news - web sites) and two individuals.

    The plaza dispute dates to April 1999, when the church paid the city $8.1 million for one block of Main Street adjacent to the church's temple.

    The church agreed to the city's demand for public access to the block, but asked in turn that the church be allowed to restrict smoking, sunbathing, bicycling, "obscene" or "vulgar" speech, dress or conduct on the plaza.

    The ACLU sued, arguing the restrictions were unconstitutional.

    Last October, a federal appeals court ruled the church could not restrict speech or other activities on the sidewalks running through its plaza. The Supreme Court in June declined to review that decision.

    http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030808/ap_on_re_us/mormon_main_street_2
     
    #1 Lil Pun, Aug 8, 2003
  2. TheFreak

    TheFreak Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 1999
    Messages:
    18,305
    Likes Received:
    3,316
    I don't think I've seen a post about their attack of the Boy Scouts in San Diego. Maybe they're taking a break from supporting N.A.M.B.L.A. I actually know someone at work who gives part of her salary to this organization. Ugh.
     
    #2 TheFreak, Aug 9, 2003
  3. outlaw

    outlaw Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 1999
    Messages:
    4,496
    Likes Received:
    3
    So you think it is OK to give churches or self-proclaimed "private" organizations like the Boy Scouts the power to regulate government owned property?

    for those who don't know about the San Diego situation:

    "Under the leases between the Scouts and the City, the Scouts have exclusive use of 18 acres of prime park property in city-owned Balboa Park for 50 years for $1 per year and free use of an aquatic facility on city-owned Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. The Boy Scouts recently asked the City Council for long-term extension of those leases, which expire in 2007 and 2012, respectively. "
     
    #3 outlaw, Aug 9, 2003
  4. SamFisher

    SamFisher Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Messages:
    61,885
    Likes Received:
    41,411
    Yes, less liberty is good. Shame on the ACLU for putting aside personal political biases and supporting groups like Ne0-nazis and illegal immigrants in order to be consistent with their mission regarding civil libeties and the constitution. Bastards!
     
    #4 SamFisher, Aug 9, 2003
  5. mrpaige

    mrpaige Member

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2000
    Messages:
    8,831
    Likes Received:
    15
    Man, why can't I get the ACLU down here to get me free and full access to that publically-owned facility downtown where they play basketball and hockey.

    Surely that's just as bad as giving the scouts some park land. I never even heard a peep from the ACLU when all that was getting built.

    About the Mormons, I don't know enough to care too much. I would think all sidewalks would be subject to the same rules everywhere. At least I think that would be the preferred option, in my opinion. But there are so many instances where control of public property is given to private organizations. I feel hypocritical being against a Church's being granted this and not being against a basketball team being granted a much more expensive and much more restrictive use of public property.
     
    #5 mrpaige, Aug 10, 2003
  6. TheFreak

    TheFreak Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 1999
    Messages:
    18,305
    Likes Received:
    3,316
    That was beautiful, President Bartlet.
     
    #6 TheFreak, Aug 10, 2003
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Share This Page