When patriotism and sign ordinances clash

Like millions of Americans, Independence, Mo. resident Benny Hoke wanted to show his patriotism after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

But where he lives -- a city that also is home to the Harry Truman presidential library -- he can't do so, at least not the way he has chosen to do so.

City officials have given him a deadline to remove from his front yard a 4-foot-by-5-foot lighted, plastic signboard that reads "United We Stand" and "Pray for America."

Larry Minarik, planning director of the city's community development department, said the city code prohibits lighted signs in residential areas.

Minarik said he has agreed to drop the matter if Hoke unplugs the lights and takes the sign down within 60 days of Jan. 1. "We have tried to be sensitive to this issue because of Sept. 11," Minarik said. "I believe we have reached a compromise." Minarik said Hoke could face a $500 fine or even jail time, if he refuses to remove the sign after 60 days.

Reasonable planning and zoning restrictions such as the one implicated here have been upheld by the courts as a limitation on property rights. Hoke's sentiment and intention are admirable, but the means he chose to communicate it aren't necessarily so. Life will go on in Independence, we suppose, if this sign must come down.