Utah town tones down anti-U.N. law

By The Associated Press

07.26.01

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LA VERKIN, Utah — While still blaming the United Nations for environmentalism and other perceived dangers, city council members toned down their anti-U.N. ordinance to avoid being sued.

The changes were made after state Attorney General Mark Shurtleff advised council members that their original law, adopted in a special session on July 4, violated residents' constitutional rights of speech, assembly and equal protection.

"The city can ill afford to get dragged into court," said Mayor Dan Howard after the City Council's 3-2 vote yesterday to approve the changes.

The ordinance no longer requires residents and businesses working for the United Nations or its supporters to post signs on their property and file reports with the city. A clause barring the city from contracting or investing with companies with U.N. ties also was deleted.

Instead of banning U.N. flags and symbols from city property, the city now only forbids flying the U.N. flag from the flagpole at City Hall.

The council left intact provisions declaring La Verkin a U.N.-free zone and banning that organization from taxing the city or stationing troops there unless authorized by the state or federal government. The measure reflects residents' fear that their land is in jeopardy, although the United Nations has never had a presence in La Verkin. Two-thirds of Utah is owned by the federal government, and those who favor the ordinance say U.N. environmental policies could sway how federal agencies use that land.

Most of the residents who spoke at yesterday's meeting were against the United Nations.

"The U.N. is anti-God, anti-family and anti-country. They are against everything La Verkin stands for," said resident Andy Hare. "So the U.N. is anti-La Verkin. La Verkin has the right to be anti-U.N." Resident Eliot Hill said: "All this does is make us look like a bunch of kooks."

After passage of the original ordinance, the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union jumped into the fray, sending a letter urging councilors to repeal it.

"While the ordinance states that its underlying purpose is to protect personal freedoms and constitutional rights, our principal fear is that it has the opposite effect and criminalizes constitutionally protected conduct," the letter said.

The ordinance also prompted the resignation of two of the town's four police officers, who cited concerns that they could not enforce it.

The southwestern Utah town of 3,300 residents is located about 20 miles from Zion National Park.

Update

Utah town repeals anti-U.N. law
Lone dissenter says residents should vote on ordinance declaring town United Nations-free zone.  01.20.02

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Utah attorney general: Town's anti-U.N. law is unconstitutional
Mark Shurtleff urges La Verkin City Council to repeal ordinance declaring town United Nations-free zone and either rewrite it or replace it with nonbinding resolution.  07.19.01