File photo of a homeless man. (Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — The city of Sarasota has agreed to abide by an updated 60-day injunction stopping officials and police from targeting the city’s homeless population.
In a consent decree issued Wednesday, officials agreed that police would not “interfere with the exercise of First Amendment Rights.”
The American Civil Liberties Union recently brought a legal challenge on behalf of two homeless men, saying authorities — including police — are trying to harass the homeless into leaving the city. ACLU uncovered a recent surveillance video showing an officer throwing a homeless man against a metal grate. They also allege that officers sent messages referring to “bum hunting.”
The ACLU said Wednesday it will continue to monitor treatment of homeless people in Sarasota.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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