6-7-2008 Washington D.C.
Over the last few months, city officials in Washington, DC, have instituted an array of tactics that has civil libertarians fearing the nation's capital is looking at the Bill of Rights as little more than a suggestion.
The latest proposal from DC's mayor and police chief would have officers patrolling Soviet-esque checkpoints limiting residents' ability to travel to and from targeted neighborhoods. The plan was reported Wednesday in The Examiner:
D.C. police will seal off entire neighborhoods, set up checkpoints and kick out strangers under a new program that D.C. officials hope will help them rescue the city from its out-of-control violence. Under an executive order expected to be announced today, police Chief Cathy L. Lanier will have the authority to designate “Neighborhood Safety Zones.” At least six officers will man cordons around those zones and demand identification from people coming in and out of them. Anyone who doesn’t live there, work there or have “legitimate reason” to be there will be sent away or face arrest, documents obtained by The Examiner show.
A city councilman who represents some of the affected neighborhoods -- in the District's northeast quadrant -- was cautiously optimistic about the proposal's potential to "crack down on ... open-air drug markets." But the local lawmaker, Harry Thomas, did express worries about DC "moving towards a police state." ..News Source.. by Nick Juliano
No comments:
Post a Comment