ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – New action by the city of Sandy Springs to stop antisemitic flyers is igniting debate.
A local newspaper says the solution is going to be a problem for their business.
The ordinance that was passed last week restricts door-to-door soliciting and canvassing between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Violators will face misdemeanor charges.
The “Sandy Springs Crier” is a free community newspaper owned by Appen Media that delivers to around 12,000 homes. Carl Appen, Appen Media’s director of content and development, says a newly passed ordinance is forcing them to rework their business model.
“It exactly describes the delivery of our paper, and the hours that we’re delivering it, and the method,” Appen said. “If we can’t get the papers out, advertisers are not reaching their clients, and so then they’re going to stop supporting the newsroom.”
Appen said they have contracted workers who deliver the papers overnight, many who work separate jobs during the day.
“A lot of times, to kind of limit traffic, and it’s a lot easier to cover a lot more ground when you’re doing it overnight,” Appen said.
The city says the ordinance was created in response to an uptick in antisemitic flyers.
“We’re using this as a tool to make sure to help the citizens of Sandy Springs. No matter of religion or no matter of race, we want everybody to feel safe,” said Sgt. Jarrell Greene with Sandy Springs police.
Greene says enforcement will be complaint-driven, and there will be exceptions for those not engaging in criminal activity.
“If we receive a 911 call, somebody calls it in, we will respond accordingly, and we will deal with it, how we usually deal with things, but again, we are going to use discretion in certain situations,” he said.
The City of Sandy Springs sent this statement:
“This ordinance is absolutely not about targeting any specific newspaper. The “Overnight Solicitation/Canvassing Ordinance” is necessary to address the recurring issue of hate mail and other unsolicited mail being distributed in bulk throughout the City and will be enforced when a complaint is received. The ordinances were researched and drafted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). After evaluation by City Council, they were deemed beneficial for the city’s residents.”
Appen Media is going through litigation with the city of Sandy Springs regarding issues with open record requests.
Carl Appen said they may have to take on another legal battle they simply can’t afford.
“It just makes us frustrated because we don’t want to be spending our time and resources on trying to get the city to do the right thing,” he said. “We would prefer to be spending our time and resources on just good community coverage.”
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