TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - Public housing residents in Traverse City removed campaign signs after officials said they would be evicted for displaying the signs without approval.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan sent a letter to the Traverse City Housing Commission, calling the eviction notices “heartless.” The notices were dropped after the signs were pulled from windows at Riverview Terrace.
Fifteen residents displayed signs in favor of a public vote on buildings taller than 60 feet. That question, Proposal 3, is on the Traverse City ballot Tuesday.
The five-member commission opposes Proposal 3, saying it could threaten public housing projects. Commission Director Tony Lentych denied any retaliation.
Lentych said the signs violated the lease. But ACLU attorney Michael Steinberg, citing legal decisions, said the policy infringes on the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
“I just don’t see that this one avenue that some people found offensive was keeping them from having free speech,” Lentych told the Traverse City Record-Eagle (https://bit.ly/2evC9H3 ). “I do not infringe upon their lives like that at all. … If they want to sue us, they can sue us all they want.”
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Information from: Traverse City Record-Eagle, https://www.record-eagle.com
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