Over the years that he has witnessed for life outside of the Baltimore abortion facility, Roswell has relied upon stand-alone A-frame signs to help him communicate information to women considering abortion. These signs, featuring photos of living babies in the womb, bear messages such as, “Unborn Babies Are Human and Feel Pain.” The signs do not impede sidewalk traffic, as they are only two and a half feet wide and less than three feet high.
In January 2020, the City of Baltimore cited and fined Roswell for having the signs next to him on the sidewalk as he engaged in dialogue with women entering and exiting the facility. Despite the constitutionally protected nature of his speech, Roswell was informed that he needed a permit for his signs, regardless of the fact that the signs went with him each time he left.
“John Roswell is a good citizen, so he set about gathering information about the permit process,” explained attorney Cameron Guenzel, Thomas More Society Special Counsel. “He learned that the signs require two permits, even though they are temporary and not affixed. Those permits can only be obtained via a costly and burdensome process, and can be granted, denied, or revoked at the unfettered discretion of the City of Baltimore and its employees.”
“The real problem,” Guenzel observed, “is that the City of Baltimore requires, for each permit, the consent of the adjacent landowner – in this case, an abortion provider that is hostile to Roswell.” Guenzel noted that he, on Roswell’s behalf, tried working with the City of Baltimore to find a solution to the dispute, but he never received any response.
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