The "Respect Human Life" banner creates unsafe spaces for citizens and visitors. As I walk down the street, the banner is telling me that I do not respect life because of the beliefs that I hold. Implicit in the banner's message is one that shames others. For that reason alone, it needs to go. Whether it is appropriate or not for the city to support such a message, whether the banner meets the council's own guidelines for banners, regardless of the bigger ethical questions raised around issues of MAID and abortion, regardless of issues of freedom of speech - the banner should be taken down because it makes Baker street an unfriendly and unsafe space for many.