Atlanta suburb unanimously repeals controversial 8-foot free speech barrier
New ordinances adopted by metro Atlanta city limited First Amendment rights
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (InvestigateTV) - After recommending that Sandy Springs city councilors approve a controversial, eight-foot free speech barrier, city attorney Dan Lee urged them to repeal it.
They did so by unanimous vote.
On April 1, the Atlanta, Georgia, suburb’s council adopted several new ordinances modeled on legislation proposed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), following anti-Semitic incidents in Sandy Springs since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza. ADL is one of the world’s largest organizations opposed to anti-Semitism in the United States.
The city adopted the eight-foot buffer zone following support from Kenneth DeSimone, chief of the Sandy Springs Police Department.
“It’s on us to prevent chaos, and if you don’t help us out, chaos will ensue,” DeSimone said during the council’s meeting.
DeSimone said his officers needed to have the ability to arrest someone for silently walking through a demonstration with the flag of an opposing group.
However, according to a memo to the city council from Lee, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is worried other cities may follow Sandy Springs’ lead, which could lead to lawsuits.
“The ADL and the ACLU believe the buffer must be directly tied to a geographic point and not ‘floating,’” Lee’s memo said. “The original version of the ordinance, as provided by the ADL, tied the buffer to houses of worship, which I believe presents other challenges related to the Establishment Clause. Because of that and the concerns raised by some members of council, I recommend this repeal.”
Cory Isaacson, the Georgia ACLU’s legal director, was addressing the council when power at city hall went out, leaving her in the dark.
From the "you can't make this up" file: in the middle of ACLU of Georgia urging Sandy Springs City Council to repeal its law criminalizing free speech within 8 feet of anyone who doesn't want to hear it, the power in City Hall went out. Room went dark, mic stayed on@ATLNewsFirst
— Brendan Keefe - Atlanta News First (@BrendanKeefe) May 20, 2025
The blackout also took out the clock that would have limited the speaker’s time, and the council allowed her to continue beyond the normal limits as the city’s back-up generator brought restored partial power and the chamber’s lights.
Here's when the lights went out on the ACLU pic.twitter.com/wM6kI8X79t
— Brendan Keefe - Atlanta News First (@BrendanKeefe) May 20, 2025
Just before the council voted to repeal the ordinance, city councilor Andy Bauman told his colleagues the “outcome was not the result of advocacy or disagreement.”
“It was the result of a flawed process, and responsibility for that process sits squarely with the mayor and our legal counsel,” Bauman said. “This ordinance was unprecedented in our state, and instead of taking the time to get it right, this council and our residents were put through a process that proved divisive, costly, and ultimately unnecessary.”
Another ordinance passed by the city council last month makes it illegal for the Sandy Springs Crier* to deliver its free newspaper early in the morning.
The new ordinance prohibits “delivery of uncontracted-for literature into the residential neighborhoods between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.”
The Sandy Springs Crier is published by Appen Media, which has a partnership with Gray Media’s Atlanta News First through its Decaturish publication.
Appen Media is locked in a bitter lawsuit with Sandy Springs over its refusal to provide officer narratives in police incident reports.
The other newly adopted ordinance prohibits blocking driveways and entryways during protests and demonstrations.
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