Morgan animal-rights group to protest

A protest is expected to go ahead as planned today in Morgan for a Salt Lake City-based animal rights group after obstacles addressed in a lawsuit were resolved this week.

The issue began when the Salt Lake Animal Advocacy Movement sent a letter to Morgan County officials outlining its plans to protest mink farms there. Morgan Mayor Dean Pace asked that the group obtain a mass gathering permit.

A month later, an anti-picketing ordinance was approved by the city of Morgan requiring that picketers stay at least 1,000 feet from residences, including the homes on mink farms.

SLAAM spokeswoman Colleen Hatfield said that with 16 fur farms in the county, it left the group with virtually nowhere to go.

When the group filed for its mass gathering permit, it was told it would need to amend its planned route and pay $400 for law enforcement, Hatfield said.

After meeting in the chambers of U.S. District Judge David Sam for close to an hour earlier this week, a resolution was reached.

"The County Council decided to waive the fees to show good faith," Morgan County Attorney Jann Farris said. "We wanted to show that there was no ill will, that we didn't want to cause this group problems."

He said the county will still provide the extra law enforcement, but will foot the bill. He said the Morgan County Council also amended the picketing ordinance last week so that it will "mirror Salt Lake City's word for word." The major change was that picketers could go within 100 feet of a home, as opposed to 1,000 feet, and could picket a residence if it was the "targeted occupant's sole place of business."

Brian Barnard, attorney for SLAAM, said the group felt the ordinance had to be challenged because it was "overreaching."

— Emiley Morgan