Opinion

Liberties and loitering

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Good news on the local civil liberties front.

Last week we editorialized against the city’s anti-loitering ordinance, which expands police power to search individuals. We consider the law ambiguous, overly broad and are disturbed by evidence that the majority of incidents involved minorities (far above their population in the targeted neighborhoods).

While Alders Jarrell, Powell, and Verveer are to be commended for opposing the continuation of this law, we are disappointed the city council revoked the sunset provision, thereby making the ordinance permanent.

Fortunately, Mayor Bauman had problems with the ordinance as well, and vetoed it yesterday. She appropriately expressed concern about the number of minority arrests as well as the seeming ineffectiveness of the law.

The mayor is now urging the council to extend the law for another couple of years with a new sunset date until an alternative means of drug enforcement is put in place. While we recognize the importance of drug enforcement and cleaning up of Madison’s south side, we would prefer the search for alternatives be expedited and the loitering ordinance end permanently on its original sunset date of March 6.

Civil liberties once seized by government are rarely given back to the citizens — the Council should join the mayor in doing just that.