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Officials Explain Why They're Proposing Signs Against Profanity In Ocean City, MD

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Dom Giordano spoke with Mayor Rick Meehan from Ocean City, Maryland and Brent Ashley from Ocean City's City Council about their proposal to post signs asking patrons to avoid using profanity in their town.

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Mayor Rick Meehan

Meehan said he first became aware of the need to take action during one of his regular walks down the boardwalk.

"You hear a little bit of everything in this ever-changing world of ours. You encounter some of the language, and sometimes, it surprises you who it is said in front of. Everybody has the right to say what they want to say, and we certainly don't contest that. We just want to remind people, think about what you would say if you were at home," he explained.

Ashley agreed that action should be taken to maintain the city's status as a resort destination for families.

"Our marketing campaign is geared toward the families. We have multiple free family activities in town. There is plenty to do. We have, for example, movies on the beach for the families. It's a long list of free activities for the families," he said.

He also explained that no laws have been passed to prohibit bad language, but the council wanted to do something to keep their public spaces an inviting place for everyone.

"This is not an ordinance. This is just a suggestion. We noticed, on the boardwalk, like most resorts, we have some characters that come here, and the language is not something that is family-friendly in our minds. We thought we would do the no profanity sign as just a suggestion to watch your language," Ashley stated.

He believes that raising awareness of the concern should be enough to get the results they are looking for.

"Most people are good at heart. Maybe they're not aware of what they're saying. So this may just be a reminder that we have families and kids here; tone it down," Ashley said.

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