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Vancouver bans protests outside officials’ homes

VANCOUVER, WA - JUNE 26: Harlyn Thompson from Battleground, Washington joins others at a Patriot Prayer and Peoples Rights Washington rally protesting the Washington state mask mandate outside the Clark County Sheriffs Office on June 26, 2020 in Vancouver, Washington. Washington state Governor Jay Inslee ordered a statewide mandate requiring facial coverings be worn by anyone out in public beginning today in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) which is seeing a rise of cases in the state and across the country. (Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The City Council in Vancouver, Washington, has passed a measure that would make it illegal to picket outside the homes of city employees and elected officials.

Opponents of the move called it an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights.

Protests targeting public officials at their homes have become increasingly popular as a tactic in recent years. City leaders in nearby Portland, Oregon, have seen protests at their homes or while out at restaurants.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the Vancouver City Council on Monday prohibited what it calls “targeted picketing or protesting.”

The decision follows several recent protests — mainly against measures to quell COVID-19 — outside homes and schools in Clark County.