He said he did not feel guilty for neighborhood protests because he believes the researchers should be willing to stand behind their work. "We do feel that people should be held accountable for their actions," he said.

His group has been fighting with the U. to get records on the research being done. He said he wants to start a debate about the ethics and scientific validity of the research but has been stymied by the public-records request process.

"They wanted to charge us hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to begin a request for a list of the animals they have there," he said. "Most of us work and go to school. Thousands of dollars in legal fees are not really an option. We shouldn't have to pay for something that the federal government is funding with our tax money."

Anderson was traveling Thursday and could not be reached for comment. The mayor, in his days as a civil-rights attorney, picketed in front of the Governor's Mansion in a 1992 capital-punishment protest. That Salt Lake City mansion would likely be covered under the new ordinance, and such a protest would now be prohibited.

U. researchers listed on the Utah Primate Freedom Project's Web site either declined to comment or failed to return calls seeking details of the protests where they have been the targets.

Rose said the protests are typically attended by police, and to date, no one has been criminally charged.

"If we're breaking the law, arrest us. If we're making people feel unsafe, if we're threatening them — even threatening people is a form of assault — then arrest us," Rose said. "Disturbing the peace is already a crime. Violating the noise ordinance is already a crime. Trespassing is already a crime."

Simonsen agrees that the ordinance may be overkill in addition to being a free-speech concern.

"I'm not convinced that we don't have sufficient controls to manage this," he said.

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com