ACLU of Colorado Statement on the Revised “Sit-Lie” Ordinance in Colorado Springs

1/11/15
DENVER – At a work session this afternoon, the Colorado Springs City Council will re-visit a controversial proposal to make it a crime, punishable by up to a $500 fine on first offense and up to 90 days in jail on second offense, to sit on curbs and sidewalks downtown. The proposal has been re-titled the “Pedestrian Access Act.”
The ACLU of Colorado issued the following statement:

“The ACLU of Colorado opposes any new laws that make it a crime to use public spaces, especially those that disproportionately target people who are homeless or living in poverty.
“While the Council has responded to resounding public rejection of the ‘sit-lie’ concept by attempting to rebrand the proposal and to soften some of its more absurd elements, there is still no public safety justification for making it a crime to sit.
“The Council, the police, and the courts should focus their time and resources on actual crimes with actual victims, not rounding up and harassing people who are doing nothing more than sitting.”
SEE ALSO:

ACLU Wins Dismissal of Hundreds of Panhandling Charges in Colorado Springs: https://aclu-co.org/aclu-wins-dismissal-of-hundreds-of-panhandling-charges-in-colorado-springs/

Colorado Springs Sentences Hundreds of Impoverished People to Debtors’ Prison in Violation of U.S Constitution and State Law: https://aclu-co.org/colorado-springs-sentences-hundreds-of-impoverished-people-to-debtors-prison-in-violation-of-u-s-constitution-and-state-law/

ACLU of Colorado Statement on the Proposed “Sit-Lie” Ordinance in Colorado Springs (8/24/15): https://aclu-co.org/aclu-of-colorado-statement-on-the-proposed-sit-lie-ordinance-in-colorado-springs/