PORTLAND, Ore. (Portland Tribune) — The ACLU of Oregon will oppose a proposal by Mayor Wheeler to reduce disruptions at City Council meetings.

Wheeler will ask the council on Wednesday to approve a code of conduct for those attending such meetings and give the presiding officer more specific authority to expel people causing disruptions.

The proposal follows weeks of disruptions that have repeatedly forced the council to suspend and sometimes cancel meetings.

Although meetings of other governing bodies are occasionally disrupted, Wheeler spokesman Michael Cox says what is happening at the council meetings is unique and must be addressed.

“The Mayor served as Chair of Multnomah County. He sat on the Oregon Investment Council. He served in the State Capitol at Treasurer. All are places where the business of the people is carried out with civility and decorum, places that school kids visit. For some reason Portland can’t seem to figure it out. The Mayor is dedicated to changing the culture in City Hall. It may take time, but he’s going to do it,” says Wheeler spokesman Michael Cox.

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But ACLU of Oregon Legal Director Mat dos Santos says the proposal has constitution problems. Among other things, dos Santos says, it does not define “disruption” and gives the presiding officer too much authority to decide who is violating the rules.

“I’m bothered that the people seeks to exclude marginalized voices who should be included in council deliberations. I know things can get frustrating, but these are difficult issues being discussed by people who don’t feel they have other options,” says dos Santos.

The rules and authority are included in an ordinance and series of documents Wheeler submitted to the council for consideration on Wednesday.

Issue raised by demonstrators in recent months have varied from meeting to meeting and included the city’s handing of the homeless crisis, the affordable housing crisis, anti-Trump demonstrations, and the police shooting of an African-American teenager allegedly carrying a replica gun.

The ordinance gives the presiding officer the authority to eject those causing disruptions after warning them them about the consequences of their behavior. Other potential actions include arrests for criminal trespass.

The ordinance is written to answer objections cited by U,S, District Court Judge Michael Simon who ruled against the extended eviction of Joe Walsh, a frequent witness who repeatedly berates the council at length, in December 2015. Simon based his ruling upholding Walsh’s First Amendment rights in part of the vagueness of the existing City Code governing exclusions.

The ordinance says such disruptions started before Wheeler was elected mayor but have increased since he took office. They included a confrontation inside City Hall between police and demonstrators last October over the new police contract proposed by former Mayor Charlie Hales. The council ended up meeting behind closed doors to approve the contract.