The American Civil Liberties Union says that Colorado Springs is illegally issuing citations to panhandlers who aren't breaking the law.
One-third of the cases that the ACLU is looking at involve "passive solicitation," which isn't illegal, unlike solicitation. The group says the allegedly illegal citations target poor and homeless people.
The city responded to the accusations Tuesday, saying that they have no knowledge of "improper application of the city’s solicitation ordinances," but promised to follow up:
"The City believes it is important to investigate the assertions made by the ACLU carefully and, if warranted, take appropriate action. Consequently, City staff is developing a work plan to gather information and determine the facts. The City will be responding to the letter, in due course, as this effort proceeds.”
