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--> --> Boycott organizer Eric Navickas displays a sign he attempted to hang around Ashland, but was prevented doing so by police. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA Expansion foe: Free speech limited By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings Ski Ashland expansion boycott organizer Eric Navickas is complaining the city is trampling on his and other organizers' constitutional rights by not allowing the group to put up posters on light poles in the city. "Postering is a major part of any grassroots organizing," Navickas told members of the Ashland City Council Tuesday night. "This is a direct attack on citizens' First Amendment rights to speak freely and publicly organize." The group is boycotting the ski area expansion because of concerns of environmental damage to the Ashland Watershed. Navickas and others were attempting to attach notices of their boycott on light poles downtown when they were stopped by Ashland police. The officers informed them it was against the law and the posters would bring fines of $250 apiece if not taken down. They took the posters down. There is a specific city ordinance prohibiting the kind of signing Navickas' group was attempting - as well as signs announcing garage sales and lost kittens put up on public property in a street right-of-way - according to City Attorney Paul Nolte. "None of that actually is legal," Nolte said. "We get the same thing when the circus comes to town or when people want to put up posters announcing a rock band." Ordinance 9.8.180 in the city code states, "No person shall affix or cause to be affixed a placard, bill advertisement, or poster upon real or personal property, public or private, without first securing permission from the owner or person in control of the property." "We do not distinguish on content," Nolte said. "We don't permit any signs in the right-of-way (streets and sidewalks) because they're a distraction to drivers and are unsafe." The ordinance is in the "nuisances" section of the city code, and is distinct from the city's sign ordinance, which restricts other types of signs in the city. Ashland Police Chief Scott Fleuter said community service officers and volunteers regularly remove signs, and usually stop people if they see them putting up signs. In Navickas' case, someone reported his group's actions to the police, necessitating a response, Fleuter said. On top of allegedly denying free speech rights, Navickas believes the ordinance is part of an attempt to deny the urban character of the downtown. He asked the council to lift it. The council did not discuss the issue, but Mayor Alan DeBoer pointed out there are two large bulletin board kiosks downtown designed for public postings. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing