NJ city uses Patriot Act to evict homeless

[StarOfAfrica2]

Here we go.  And btw, I'm not saying the city didnt have the right to evict this guy, but using the Patroit Act?  Comon.  Wonder if one of the Supreme Court justices lives here?

NEWARK, N.J. (June 30) - The USA Patriot Act, in the name of fighting terrorism, allows the government to find out which books and Internet sites a person has seen. It lets investigators secretly search homes and monitor phone calls and e-mail.  

Now, officials in the wealthy New York City suburb of Summit are using the law to justify forcing homeless people to leave a train station - an action that sparked a $5 million federal lawsuit by a homeless man.

Richard Kreimer, who filed the lawsuit in March after being kicked out of the train station, said the Patriot Act defense makes no sense.

"Unless they've been smoking those funny cigarettes, I can't see how my civil lawsuit has anything to do with the Patriot Act," said Kreimer, 55, who is acting as his own attorney.

But Summit officials argue they are protected by a provision regarding "attacks and other violence against mass transportation systems." Town attorney Harry Yospin, who did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday and Wednesday, has used the law as one of more than a dozen defenses in the case.

Edward Barocas, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said the Patriot Act defense is weak: "Nothing in the Patriot Act lets them kick homeless people out of train stations."

The U.S. Justice Department also criticized Summit's use of the law.

"That represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Patriot Act is," spokesman Kevin Madden said Wednesday. "The Patriot Act is a law enforcement tool to identify and track terrorists and stop them from further attacks on America. To apply it to this case is, shall we say, an overreaching application of the law."

Kreimer garnered national attention in 1991 after suing Morristown, the Morris Township public library and the police department over his treatment there. The library threw him out at least five times, claiming his body odor and the way he looked at library patrons offended them.

A federal judge ruled the library's rules on hygiene were unconstitutional - a decision that was overturned, but not before Kreimer had been paid. Kreimer has said he spent the settlement on lawyers, living expenses and medical bills.

In the latest case, Kreimer is seeking at least $5 million in damages from the city of Summit, NJ Transit, nine police officers and several others, claiming he and other homeless people have been unlawfully thrown out of train stations since August.

He also wants a judge to decide whether transit stations are public or private property, and whether people who do not have train tickets have the right to be in them.

The state Attorney General's office, on behalf of NJ Transit, has called the lawsuit frivolous and a sham but did not cite the Patriot Act. City Administrator Christopher Cotter said the municipality does not comment on active litigation.

Since the lawsuit was filed, NJ Transit has announced plans to create "ticket-only" zones limiting areas of train and bus stations to passengers holding tickets.

[Fishu]

Grand Central Station has more security than JFK airport, where you can only see TSA workers at the metal detectors and x-ray machines. LGA is even more lax... what 911?
However at the GCT there was MTA (Metro Transport Authority) guards and seemingly soldiers around every second corner.
Let alone the constant advises to not leave baggage alone.

Although they didn't care much when I was sitting on the stairs, which in front was a sign saying you should not and its punishable and blahblahblah...
However, had they come to tell me of it, I would've acted like a stupid foreigner
Guess I didn't look that much like a terrorist, like the homeless do...

Only people in raggy clothes can be terrorists.
Just take a look at the people in the middle east.

Nobody either gave **** when I was carrying a full metal gun replica in the luggage. Felt like they would've just wanted go on about their own business, rather than waste time ensuring me it's alright.

[Siaf__csf]

Thats so rediculous that even our russian friends laugh on it..

[Manedew]

Summit .... this town has extra rubber on the highway to make traffic quieter

the Country Time leamonade house is on Summit Ave I think


Rich NJ town ....

But Summit officials argue they are protected by a provision regarding "attacks and other violence against mass transportation systems." Town attorney Harry Yospin, who did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday and Wednesday, has used the law as one of more than a dozen defenses in the case.

pretty loose thinking..... the midtown express used to go from Summit to the WTC ... now too PENN ...but still ... completely silly reason....

I wonder if stations are cleared in Manhatten or Newark for our 'protection',  ....tho I have to admit I've seen some pretty strange, likely homeless guys, in NY train stations .... no reason to discriminate, and use this joke Act as an excuse.

silly rich seperatists

Like cops in NJ aren't knowen for profileing or anything...... what a joke excuse tho!

[DREDIOCK]

"Now, officials in the wealthy New York City suburb of Summit"

Idiots, Summit is not a suburb of NY. Its in Jersey.

[Chairboy]

Remember when we all warned about how the Patriot act would be abused and was too powerful?

Please file this in that ever growing pile of incidents.

Signed,

-The liberty loving minority

[Rino]

Kreimer been making a habit of suing the towns he "lives"
in.  The guy is a true scumbag and homeless because he
chooses to be.  That said, the reasons from Summit seem
specious.

[Suave]

How can you evict a homeless person ?

[vorticon]

Originally posted by Suave
How can you evict a homeless person ?

they kicked the dude out of the train station...though i cant see why they couldnt just throw him out for loitering and vagrancy

[Suave]

I know. I was pointing out a literal impossibility.

[StarOfAfrica2]

Originally posted by Suave
How can you evict a homeless person ?

I know. I was pointing out a literal impossibility.

Not so.  You are thinking of the word only in its most common current usage.  Dictionary definition of "evict":

Main Entry: evict
Pronunciation: i-'vikt
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin evictus, past participle of evincere, from Latin, to vanquish, win a point —more at EVINCE
Date: 15th century
1 a : to recover (property) from a person by legal process b : to put (a tenant) out by legal process
2 : to force out : EXPEL
synonym see EJECT
- evic·tion /-'vik-sh&n/ noun
- evic·tor /-'vik-t&r/ noun

And I have to say I'm confused as well why they didnt just use vagrancy laws on the books to deal with him.  Perhaps they were hoping the Patriot Act would allow them to get rid of him while protecting them from a lawsuit this time?

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Suave
How can you evict a homeless person ?

Well it was a train station right?

Maybe he ran outa tokens LOL