Sandy Springs Repeals Unconstitutional Buffer Zone Ordinance After ACLU, Mayoral Candidate Dontaye Carter Speak Out

On April 1, the Sandy Springs City Council passed a reckless, unconstitutional ordinance that would have criminalized free speech across our city. I stood up and spoke out against it immediately. So did the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). We warned the city. We told them it violated the Constitution. And now, just weeks later, they’ve been forced to repeal it.

Why? Because the threat of legal action and public backlash finally made them do what they should have done the first time — listen.

📺 Watch My Breakdown on the Buffer Zone Ordinance
📺 Live Response to the Council’s April 1 Vote

Let’s be crystal clear: this ordinance was never about public safety — it was about control. It would have allowed the city to arrest people simply for standing within 8 feet of someone who disagreed with them. That’s not about preventing violence. That’s about silencing voices.

Imagine this:
You’re peacefully attending a rally. You’re holding a sign. You’re not blocking traffic. You’re not being aggressive. Under this ordinance, just being too close to someone who objects to your presence could’ve made you a criminal.

This law could’ve been used to shut down protests, intimidate dissent, and chill free expression across the city. The ACLU called it blatantly unconstitutional, and they were absolutely right.

This Was a Direct Attack on the First Amendment.

The ordinance didn’t just threaten free speech — it criminalized proximity. It was dangerously vague, overly broad, and it granted sweeping power to silence people anywhere in the city. That’s not how democracy works. That’s how authoritarianism creeps in.

The ACLU warned the city before the vote. I warned them. And instead of doing their due diligence, the City Council moved forward anyway. That’s not leadership. That’s negligence.

Our City Deserves Better.

When city government fails to read the Constitution, it’s not just a legal problem — it’s a moral one. We deserve elected leaders who understand that protecting public safety can never come at the cost of fundamental rights.

We need leadership that listens the first time.
That respects civil liberties.
That governs with clarity, courage, and competence.

This repeal was necessary — but it never should have been needed in the first place.

I’m running for Mayor of Sandy Springs because our residents deserve a city that puts freedom first and people over politics. We need to be proactive, not reactive. And we need to build a government that protects every voice, not just the ones it agrees with.

That’s the city I believe in. That’s the city I’ll fight for.

Let’s move forward — together.
Dontaye Carter
Candidate for Mayor of Sandy Springs