From the KSL.com lead story (with a graphic even!) And Rocky's proposal is still not even a compromise. People can still demonstrate on the Plaza (albeit to a couple of confined areas), and there is the ability to pass out leaflets (read: religious pamphlets among other things) on the WHOLE plaza. I don't think so. The good part of this proposal is that the west side of the Plaza remains under the church's control, which is the area right be th reflecting pool and the temple.
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Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson has made what he believes is the best proposal possible to solve the Main Street Plaza controversy.
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson has made what he believes is the best proposal possible to solve the Main Street Plaza controversy.
This afternoon, he unveiled a four-step plan that he says will meet the needs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and still be constitutionally correct.
Anderson says the original deal between the city and the church never specifically defined what the "easement" is. So he proposes a walkway about the size of a normal sidewalk along the entire east side of the plaza.
On the north and south ends of the easement, he proposes small protest zones where groups can gather.
People could still pass out literature in the rest of the plaza, as long as they abide by noise and disturbance regulations.
Anderson believes his plan gives both the city and the church almost all of what they bargained for back in 1999, when the deal was made.
Specific components of the plan include:
- Defining the city easement on the plaza
- Limiting group gatherings on the easement
- Regulating noise levels
- Subjecting the easement to time, place and manner restrictions applied to other city sidewalks.
Anderson says no plan will make all parties involved 100 percent happy, but this plan achieves nearly all of their goals.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints constructed the plaza on what was a stretch of Main Street between North and South Temple Streets.
The issue of a public easement through the plaza has been an issue all along.
The ACLU and others have sued in court saying the Constitution provides for free speech in a public area.
The LDS Church wants to restrict certain things on the plaza such as protesters, the use of foul language and smoking.
Most recently, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has ruled that freedom of speech must be guaranteed at the site.
Mayor Anderson's newest proposal is an attempt to make both sides happy.
More from KSL.com. Reporting is done by Keith McCord.
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The mayor offers a plan to solve the battle over the Main Street Plaza, but the controversy seems far from finished.
Mayor Rocky Anderson says his plan is a "win-win" situation -- a four-part proposal that he says will address the needs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and still be constitutionally correct.
"This does not have to be a win-lose situation for anyone. And it certainly does not have to be a matter that festers, creating divisiveness along religious lines," Anderson says.
But was anything really new proposed here?
Yes and no. We've heard some of this before, but the mayor has refined some of his definitions.
LDS Church officials got a look at the plan yesterday, and word is, they still don't like it. The mayor, however, went public with the plan today to generate more discussion.
"These have been an incredibly difficult six weeks, with much misunderstanding, and far too much divisiveness," Anderson says. "For any role I have played in that, I apologize."
With that, Anderson outlined his plan to bring all sides together on the Main Street Plaza issue.
He says the original deal between the city and the LDS Church never specifically defined what the "easement" is. So he proposes a walkway about the size of a normal sidewalk along the entire east side of the plaza.
"With the definition of the easement, the Church of Jesus Christ will have free and clear title to the vast majority of the plaza, approximately 90 percent, and will have the ability to regulate conduct just as any private property owner would on its own property," Anderson says.
On the north and south ends of the easement, the mayor proposes small protest zones where groups can gather.
People could still pass out literature in the rest of the plaza, as long as they abide by noise and disturbance regulations.
Anderson believes his plan gives both the city and the LDS Church almost all of what they bargained for back in 1999, when the deal was made.
"No one gets 100 percent of what they want, but that is a result of the fact that the essential terms of the initial deal are not constitutionally compatible," he says.
As we said earlier, the LDS Church has rejected the restrictions, saying the rules don't adequately protect its property rights.
Shortly after the mayor's announcement, News Specialist John Daley spoke with Alan Sullivan, the LDS Church's attorney.
"The city has a legitimate expectation that the public has a right to enter the property and pass over it and make use of it," Sullivan says.
"We don't think the parties intended for there to be protesters, hecklers. The deal would not have gone forward if that had not been the case," he says.