A lawsuit, seeking class action status, has been filed in US District Court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana on behalf of four Indiana men alleging the city is taking an over-aggressive stance against the homeless in downtown Indianapolis. The suit claims that Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers hassled the men even though they weren't breaking state panhandling laws.
Of the four men, two holding cups but who were not speaking, were told by officers they could not solicit contributions. Two others, appearing homeless, but not soliciting were forced to produce identification, and were subjected to records checks, on several occasions. The complaint goes on to say that these actions are violations of the U.S. Constitution's protections of free speech and against unreasonable searches, and seeks an injunction barring police from overstepping their legal bounds.
