P.O. Box 1222, Madison, WI 53701 | www.prodane.org | office@prodane.org | (608) 257-4985

August 16, 2006

Action Alert: Loitering Ordinance

Dear friends,

Before I was elected to the Common Council, I spent years as a citizen fighting against a horrendous law that was on our books called the loitering ordinance. Under the guise of fighting against drug dealing, the law criminalized public space, had a massively disparate racial impact, and did not succeed whatsoever in reducing crime . Fortunately, a coalition of civil libertarians, racial justice supporters, and opponents of the failed drug war succeeded in getting the law off the books in 2002 after years of dividing the community.

I am saddened and shocked to report that a majority of the Common Council has announced its support for renewing this awful law, including all the body's Republicans and a hefty majority of those conservatives that identify as Democrats. Behind the scenes, lobbyists for the right-wing Common Sense Coalition have already claimed support from eleven alders, enough to put it back on the books, and without swift action from grassroots citizens, we face the horrifying prospect of once again criminalizing being black on city streets. Perhaps worst of all, this proposal is packaged in the guise of addressing the recent and disturbing rash of downtown violence, which of course it will do nothing to address.

TAKE THESE ACTIONS RIGHT NOW!

1) Email allalders@cityofmadison.com and tell the City Council "No to the discriminatory loitering ordinance!"

2) Email mayor@cityofmadison.com and thank Mayor Cieslewicz for his opposition to the proposal, which he rightly called "divisive and politically-motivated".

Thank you for your swift action! Together, we can stop this proposal!

Sincerely,
Progressive Dane

Posted by prodane at August 16, 2006 03:13 AM