Adam Hines (’23), current Fellow at the ACLU of Oklahoma, penned a letter to the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma, urging the repeal of a recent ordinance prohibiting sitting, lying down or placing items along the right of way in the downtown area (“ACLU of Oklahoma Sends Letter to City of Shawnee on ‘No Sit, No Lie’ Ordinance,” Dec. 21). Quoted by Oklahoma’s News 4, Adam wrote, “Shawnee’s ‘No Sit, No Lie’ ordinance censors protected speech because it criminalizes speech on public sidewalks simply because a person decides to sit or lie while speaking. People often sit or lie down while holding signs and soliciting charitable funds, activities protected by the First Amendment.” Citing a federal lawsuit against Oklahoma City’s 2015 anti-panhandling ordinance, Adam noted, “OKC’s stubborn defense of the plainly unconstitutional ordinance ultimately cost taxpayers more than a million dollars in attorneys’ fees. Repealing Shawnee’s unconstitutional ordinance is a more expeditious and cost-effective way to respect Oklahomans’ constitutional freedoms and protect taxpayers.”
