Get rid of these fucking bums!!

NOVEMBER 04, 2013 NEWS » CITYDESK

ACLU Sues City of Boise Over Anti-Panhandling Ordinance
“The three members of the City Council who voted in favor of the ordinance are getting today exactly what they voted for—a federal lawsuit.”
By George Prentice @georgepren

The process is very simple. The issue is anything but.

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on November 4, process server Tony Roque took a number and waited in line in the lobby of Boise City Hall. When his number was called, he stepped up to a window where a representative of the City Clerk’s office was seated and Roque handed the representative a 19-page document.

And with that, the City of Boise was served.

The ACLU of Idaho officially launched a federal lawsuit this morning, arguing that the city’s recently-passed anti-panhandling ordinance was in violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“The ACLU specifically warned the Boise City Council that this ordinance was unconstitutional,” said ACLU of Idaho legal director Ritchie Eppink, who added that the suit was a “clarion call.”

“This lawsuit should come as no surprise to anyone and especially not the city,” said Eppink.

After listening to hours of public testimony, overwhelmingly opposed to the ordinance, the Boise City Council voted 3-1 in favor of the measure which prohibits solicitation for donations colored by intimidation, obstruction of right-of-way or repeated attempted at solicitation after a negative response.

Voting in favor of the measure were Council President Maryanne Jordan and Council Members Ben Quintana and T.J. Thomson. The only Council Member voting against the ordinance was Lauren McLean.

Boise Weekly asked Eppink about the significance of launching the lawsuit one day before Election Day when Jordan, Quintana and Thomson would be running for reelection.

“A lot of issues wrapped up in this case are directly relevant to issues going on in the city and the city council election,” said Eppink. “All three city council members who voted in favor of this ordinance are, coincidentally, the three who will be standing for election tomorrow. These issues are something that, hopefully, everyone in the City of Boise should be keeping in mind before going to the polls tomorrow.”

As early as June, the ACLU of Idaho was telling Boise Weekly that it was prepared to launch a legal challenge if the ordinance was passed (BW, News, “Out of the Panhandle, Into the Fire,” June 5, 2013).

“The three members of the City Council who voted in favor of the ordinance are getting today exactly what they voted for—a federal lawsuit,” said Erika Birch, ACLU of Idaho board member. “The ordinance criminalizes certain speech and expression and specifically restricts words that a person can use in the City of Boise, particularly in the downtown core area. It goes too far and violates constitutionally-protect speech.”

In statement from the office of Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, spokesman Adam Park wrote, “The ordinance was carefully crafted to prevent aggressive solicitation while still ensuring the protection of all citizens’ speech. The City will defend the ordinance and is confident it will withstand this legal challenge.”

Ritchie Eppink, legal director of ACLU of Idaho, announces lawsuit against City of Boise on steps of City Hall.
GEORGE PRENTICE
Ritchie Eppink, legal director of ACLU of Idaho, announces lawsuit against City of Boise on steps of City Hall.

-Yeah, congrats ACLU for supporting a lazy motherfucker’s right to accost a taxpayer and to further his fucking ‘right’ to eventually pass out drunk on said taxpayers lawn and have the owner get sued for running this reprobate asshole off! AWESOME! A testament to making ALL of the wrong choices and getting rewarded for them! Boise is beautiful and Portland, OR is infested with nere do well asshole homeless pieces of shit panhandling at all fucking corners of the city! Fuck that for the future here! Does anyone still believe in hard work and making your own way? Or does everybody feel sorry for the flotsam shitbags of society who should be forced to make the right choices?

Fuck the ACLU and fuck those who feel responsible and sorry for the bums that blight our cities! These weak links would be the first to die in a zombie apocalypse because they are unmotivated superfluous shitpiles! Support your middle class and educate to prevent poverty! If you reject an education or a vocation, then you deserve to be where you are and if you are a bum who is able, then you don’t deserve fucking shit you worthless asshole!!