Detroit police accused of 'kidnapping' homeless people, leaving them outside city limits
Published time: April 19, 2013 02:28
Edited time: April 20, 2013 11:16
Edited time: April 20, 2013 11:16
A homeless man covers himself from the cold while walking down a sidewalk February 24, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. (J.D. Pooley/Getty Images/AFP)
Following a year-long investigation, the ACLU has filed a complaint demanding that Detroit Police halt what it calls the “disturbing practice” of literally driving away the homeless, often leaving them to fend for themselves in unfamiliar areas.
According to complaints received by the civil rights group, Detroit Police officers routinely approach homeless people living in such areas as Greektown, which is popular with tourists, force them into vans, and drive them miles away into often unfamiliar areas.
According to CBS Detroit, there are even cases where officers have allegedly taken any money from the homeless, forcing them to walk back to the city. Several individuals who have come forward describe being dropped off beyond city limits, sometimes in neighboring communities such as River Rouge and Dearborn.
Sarah Mehta, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan who spoke with the local CBS affiliate, says the accusations represent a grave case of discrimination.
“DPD’s practice of essentially kidnapping homeless people and abandoning them miles away from the neighborhoods they know – with no means for a safe return — is inhumane, callous and illegal,” said