Standing in a remote corner of Pioneer Park, Utah Animal Rights Coalition executive director Sean Diener and civil rights attorney Brian Barnard announced their plans to challenge the city's established protest zones for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
UARC and another animal-rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, filed a lawsuit Wednesday morning in Utah's U.S. District Court, alleging the city's intention to relegate all protestors to Pioneer Park during the Games violates First Amendment rights.
"People have a targeted audience and they're entitled to address that audience," Barnard said. "Our position is that (Pioneer Park) is not adequate, it is too far away from that audience."
The park is four blocks away from the closest Olympic venue, a situation that Diener said will prohibit effective demonstrations.
"This is good a display of the lack of attention that we're going to be getting," Diener said above the din of construction and morning traffic along 300 West. "We want to make sure that our freedom of speech is not impeded on during the Olympics, and we are well-prepared to have appropriate and adequate space to do our demonstrations."
Diener said protestors should be allowed closer to the action at Olympic Square, a several block area that will include the Medals Plaza and the Delta Center.
But Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson on Wednesday rejected the notion that all protestors will be contained in the park. Anderson and his staff have "gone to great lengths" to set aside most of the park, he said, as well as organize a demonstration route through downtown Salt Lake for protests. The exact route is still in the planning stages and has not yet been decided, he said.
"It's unfortunate that nobody from either of these organizations have discussed these issues with me, because I'm very sympathetic for the need to express opinions and differing views, as long as it doesn't unduly affect the enjoyment of Olympic spectators.
"If that's not sufficient for these folks, I'd be happy to hear from them and see what they have in mind," Anderson said.
Would-be demonstrators must submit an application to the city, which UARC and PETA have done. Although those applications have not been formally denied, Diener said he believes the designation of Pioneer Park as the protest zone was in response to their requests.
Anderson said applications are handled on a case-by-case basis and said he would be surprised to see any of them denied simply because the desired location falls outside Pioneer Park.
Barnard said the lawsuit aims to awaken city officials from their "ostrichlike mentality." Planners are sticking their heads in the sand and trying to ignore the fact that hundreds of protestors will converge on downtown Salt Lake during February 2002, he said.
"Part of our hope is to confront the issue now, and put the city on notice that we're not going to accept Pioneer Park as the 'Free Speech Zone,' " Barnard said.
E-mail: awelling@desnews.com