BOULDER — The Boulder City Council’s proposed “rules of decorum” are an overreaction to an isolated incident, according to a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The letter from the Boulder County chapter of the ACLU says the proposed rules chill free speech. The rules say people addressing the council may not strip, shield their faces with masks, clap or stomp their feet, among other behaviors.
The rules contain “vague, overly-broad and unduly restrictive limits on free speech and conduct by the public,” writes chapter chairman Judd Golden. “Examples include use of the terms, ‘personal,’ ‘impertinent,’ ‘contemptuous’ and ‘boisterous’; that no speech may be directed toward staff or a single council member; and a ban on obscuring the face, which would exclude women who wear a Hijab or veil for religious reasons.”
The rules, which were partly a reaction to an incident in February in which a longtime council critic stripped to his boxers during public comment, are set for a council vote Sept. 7.
