It looks like some homeless men in Grand Rapids and their pro bono attorneys have succeeded in defeating a law that made spanging a criminal offense.
The Michigan Supreme Court calls the arrest, issuing of tickets and summons Unconstitutional. This is the beginning of the end for the cops and municipalities who target "beggers" . So, sponge away
"The three-judge panel unanimously upheld a lower court decision that said Grand Rapids police were wrong to arrest two homeless men in 2011 for asking for change. The court said between 2008 and 2011, there were 409 reports of incidents where police enforced this anti-begging ordinance, and 399 people were arrested or issued tickets for begging in Grand Rapids. Of those, 211 were sentenced to jail terms, the panel said."
Complete article here:
http://drudgegae.iavian.net/r?hop=h...ing-in-Michigan-unconstitutional--court-rules
The Michigan Supreme Court calls the arrest, issuing of tickets and summons Unconstitutional. This is the beginning of the end for the cops and municipalities who target "beggers" . So, sponge away
"The three-judge panel unanimously upheld a lower court decision that said Grand Rapids police were wrong to arrest two homeless men in 2011 for asking for change. The court said between 2008 and 2011, there were 409 reports of incidents where police enforced this anti-begging ordinance, and 399 people were arrested or issued tickets for begging in Grand Rapids. Of those, 211 were sentenced to jail terms, the panel said."
Complete article here:
http://drudgegae.iavian.net/r?hop=h...ing-in-Michigan-unconstitutional--court-rules
