Welcome to the Machine Part II According to this story in the Chicago Trib, which I found on The Daily Pundit simply standing around may become a crime.
The city has designated about 90 so-called "hot spots," areas deemed troubled by gangs, drugs and violence. The list, which is complied by police and community leaders, is kept secret by the city. It is reviewed quarterly."The only time under this ordinance that anyone can be arrested is if they disobey the officer's order to move on," Rosenthal said.
Folks, this isn't a game show; this is the real world. Now, if it were a crime scene, or private property, or you were commiting a crime, ie disturbing the peace, obstructing access, etc, I can accept that the police have the right to tell you to move along. But here we have a city designating secret spots, which may change quarterly, subject to no public review, where the cops can tell you to get lost, and you must comply, or face arrest. If you don't know whether the spot you are on is one of the secret spots, how will you know whether or not the officer is within his rights? Obviously, you can't. This has the effect of giving the police the right to disperse any crowd, anywhere for any reason.
Posted by Rich at February 27, 2002 1:06 PM