Matt Miller, Executive Director of the Institute for Justice (Texas Chapter) came up from Austin to speak to reporters about the lawsuit the institute has filed against the City of Dallas on behalf of five Dallas businesses, including AAA Vacuum and Fast Signs at Meadow and Central Expressway. New codes adopted in 2008 prohibit letters larger than 4 inches in the top two-thirds of a building’s facade.
Miller said the goal of the lawsuit is to "vindicate free speech rights of small business owners." The code is unfair, he said, because it only restricts commercial speech. For example, an identical sign with a political messages would not violate the code. Miller said that Dallas councilman Dwaine Caraway told him small businesses do not need signs in their windows, because they can advertise in the Yellow Pages. This is no solution, according to Miller. "I don’t know about you, but I almost never look in the Yellow Pages any more."
April Gilliland of Fast Signs at Meadow/Central (who provides many signs to local small businesses) said, "Signs are cost-effective for small businesses that don’t have funds for advertising. …Signs placed in the bottom third of the window can’t be seen."
Caroline Thomi of AAA Vacuum fears that if she takes down her signs, people will think her store is going out of business. "We aren’t going to be able to pay city taxes if we can’t stay in business," she said. "We aren’t on food stamps yet, we aren’t cold or hungry, but we support seven families with our business and we’d hate to see them out of work."
