This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Civil rights attorney Brian Barnard is challenging Lehi's recently enacted law against aggressive panhandling.
Barnard, in a letter to Mayor Bert Wilson, said the ordinance is "poorly thought out and overly broad." He warned it could criminalize legitimate free speech.
The ordinance was meant to prohibit aggressive panhandling and bars solicitors from creating hazards by going out in the road.
But Barnard said Monday the law becomes unconstitutional in what it defines as solicitation. He said the definition is so broad, it could apply to Salvation Army bell-ringers, sign "spinners" outside stores and children's lemonade stands as illegal because they are directing messages at people in cars or near ATMs.
"If the Girl Scouts set up [a cookie booth] and they are holding a sign by the road, or the church youth group has a sign advertising a car wash … all of these things are made illegal by the ordinance," Barnard said.
Tribune attempts to contact the mayor and City Attorney Ryan Wood were unsuccessful Monday.
Barnard said existing laws already deal with panhandlers who use obscene language, threaten or touch people to get money.
Twitter: @donaldwmeyers
facebook.com/donaldwmeyers