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It's no longer a crime to shit on the sidewalk in Kalamazoo

TJ8869

HR King
Dec 7, 2006
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Finally!

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Littering, public urination, and leaving an inoperable vehicle on public property are among six ordinances that are no longer criminal offenses in Kalamazoo.

The Kalamazoo City Commission unanimously passed amendments to over two dozen sections of the city's code of ordinances at a city commission meeting Monday evening.

Six violations that used to be misdemeanor charges are now punishable by a civil fine, rather than jail time.

"We are eliminating certain offenses that are never or hardly ever enforced, like spitting on the sidewalk. There are other offenses that are being removed that no longer are considered a crime under either state law or state jurisprudence such as fortune telling," City Attorney Robinson clarified in the meeting.

The new ordinances are not legitimizing the violations, but decriminalizing them.

"They are still a violation of our ordinances it just no longer carries a criminal sentence," said City Attorney Clyde Robinson.

Some people expressed concerns and opposed the changes.

"One thing a lot of people don't realize is a misdemeanor is for life as much as a felony. So many things come with a permanent record on somebody's record," Commissioner Chris Praedel said in response.

Arresting and housing the individuals for these violations uses many Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety resources, according to Anderson.

City Mayor David Anderson hopes decriminalizing the ordinances will allow them to address the issues in an immediate fashion.

"It will allow our public safety officers perhaps to engage, have that opportunity, work with our partnership organizations, including ISK [Integrated Services of Kalamazoo] in town, to address those very, very challenging issues and have more time rather than spending a third of their shift getting somebody transported for a booking [for jail] that's not going to happen," Anderson said.
 
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Reactions: EasyHawk
Kalamazoo has always been a mess. It has one of the highest crime rates in the nation and is just a nasty city. We used to go visit my aunt there growing up. I can imagine what it is like now.
 
San Fran of the Midwest !!!


very-cosmopolitan-cosmopolitan.gif


makes tailgating at Western Michigan a bit easier.
 
Explain to me how these two things are both true?

"We are eliminating certain offenses that are never or hardly ever enforced, like spitting on the sidewalk."

-

Arresting and housing the individuals for these violations uses many Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety resources, according to Anderson.

I don't have a strong opinion either way on this kind of thing, the devil is in the details. I tend to be for having them on the books, and judicious restraint on enforcement of these kind of things. I mean, if the next tik tok trend becomes fraternity bros taking a shit on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks, I think it's worth having a mechanism legal mechanism to put a stop to it.

I don't buy the idea that every law on the books is enforced equally and to full extent of the law. I kind of feel like its up to a prosecutor to set what kinds of public urination cases he's going to prosecute, and that will result in law enforcement mostly acting accordingly. I'm perfectly ok with a prosecutor saying we're not going to prosecute cases of the cops rousting a homeless person taking a leak behind a dumpster in an alley in an industrial zone at 3am, but yeah if you're a drunk on your way home from an all-nighter and whip it out on the school playground at 7:30 am, you're going to get a ride downtown.
 
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Explain to me how these two things are both true?

"We are eliminating certain offenses that are never or hardly ever enforced, like spitting on the sidewalk."

-

Arresting and housing the individuals for these violations uses many Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety resources, according to Anderson.

I don't have a strong opinion either way on this kind of thing, the devil is in the details. I tend to be for having them on the books, and judicious restraint on enforcement of these kind of things. I mean, if the next tik tok trend becomes fraternity bros taking a shit on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks, I think it's worth having a mechanism legal mechanism to put a stop to it.

I don't buy the idea that every law on the books is enforced equally and to full extent of the law. I kind of feel like its up to a prosecutor to set what kinds of public urination cases he's going to prosecute, and that will result in law enforcement mostly acting accordingly. I'm perfectly ok with a prosecutor saying we're not going to prosecute cases of the cops rousting a homeless person taking a leak behind a dumpster in an alley in an industrial zone at 3am, but yeah if you're a drunk on your way home from an all-nighter and whip it out on the school playground at 7:30 am, you're going to get a ride downtown.

Common sense died a looooong time ago.

R.I.P.
 
Western Michigan University is in Kalamazoo, and is
ranked as one of the top 100 universities in America.
They have an enrollment of about 20,000. 90% of
their graduates are employed quickly and working in
jobs they like.
 
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Six violations that used to be misdemeanor charges are now punishable by a civil fine, rather than jail time.

Honesty, much better imo. No need to give someone a criminal record for things like that.
 
Crapping in the street is an improvement to that meth ridden crap hole.

Hometown of Derek Jeter, too.

Go K-Wings!
 
Western Michigan University is in Kalamazoo, and is
ranked as one of the top 100 universities in America.
They have an enrollment of about 20,000. 90% of
their graduates are employed quickly and working in
jobs they like.
will-and-grace-karen-walker.gif
 
Why aren’t conservatives on board for less government intrusion? There’s nothing that screams freedom like being able to pee and poop where you want. Conservatives again showing they are defecation fascists.
 
I served on my local city commission for 8 years; I have no remote idea whether there is a law here against taking a dump on the sidewalk; fortunately, it's never been an issue here.

I bet the vast majority of you also have no idea whether crapping on the sidewalk is against the law where you live.
 
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Why aren’t conservatives on board for less government intrusion? There’s nothing that screams freedom like being able to pee and poop where you want. Conservatives again showing they are defecation fascists.

The peeing I understand.

However, I can't understand defecating unless you're out in the woods or in a civilized facility. With a toilet paper roll nearby.
 
Have you been to Kalamazoo? Not sure anyone would notice. There are some decent places, but it's not a great town. Portage is somewhat better, and Battle Creek makes them both look beautiful.
 
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