December 3, 2000, Sunday
Copyright 2000 The Deseret News Publishing Co.
The Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT)
December 3, 2000, Sunday
(LOS ANGELES) -- Police are barred from conducting roundups and other actions against the homeless while a federal judge reviews a civil rights lawsuit that says officers harass Skid Row’s indigent.
U.S. District Judge Lourdes Baird on Dec. 1 outlined the contents of the temporary restraining order. She said she would issue a written order Dec. 4.
In the meantime, she immediately barred police from stopping and searching homeless people without probable cause. She also ordered them to quit ticketing the homeless for loitering, jaywalking or blocking sidewalks. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California sued last month on behalf of 23 homeless people and three social service agencies. The ACLU says the police department is violating the plaintiffs’ rights to free speech, freedom of assembly and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.