DETROIT \u2013 The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan sent a letter to the Detroit Police Department and filed a complaint with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) today demanding an end to the Detroit police\u2019s illegal and abusive tactics toward homeless individuals in the city. A yearlong ACLU investigation uncovered the disturbing practice of officers approaching individuals who appear to be homeless in the Greektown area, forcing them into police vans, and deserting them miles away.<\/p>\n
\u201cDPD\u2019s practice of essentially kidnapping homeless people and abandoning them miles away from the neighborhoods they know \u2013 with no means for a safe return — is inhumane, callous and illegal,\u201d said Sarah Mehta, ACLU of Michigan staff attorney. \u201cThe city\u2019s desire to hide painful reminders of our economic struggles cannot justify discriminating against the poor, banishing them from their city, and endangering their lives. A person who has lost his home has not lost his right to be treated with dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since January 2012, the ACLU has received numerous complaints from homeless individuals about the practice, which Detroit police officers have called \u201ctaking homeless people for a ride.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the years, officers have frequently approached homeless individuals in Greektown \u2013 a section of Detroit that is popular with tourists because if its restaurants, bars and casino \u2013 and told them that they were not allowed to be there; forced them into police vans, sometimes in handcuffs; and drove them to remote areas of Detroit or neighboring cities before abandoning them.<\/p>\n
In some cases, after taking homeless people \u201cfor a ride,\u201d the officers ordered them to throw out any money in their pockets. As a result, the men had no option but to walk\u2014often several miles and sometimes in the middle of the night through unlit and potentially dangerous neighborhoods\u2014back to downtown Detroit where many of their shelters, warming centers, and churches are located.<\/p>\n