MD Forum: Baltimore, Philadelphia Move Towards Martial Law. Thoughts?

[cyberpj]

This was very hard to find on the net (only the Baltimore Sun article that I could find) but it was big news in Philly all weekend on the local talk shows. I heard it once on local news, but I couldn't find anything about it in the Philly papers.


BALTIMORE, PHILADELPHIA MOVE TOWARDS MARTIAL LAW
Saturday, May 19, 2007
JOHN FRITZE, BALTIMORE SUN

Large swaths of Baltimore could be declared emergency areas subject to heightened police enforcement - including a lockdown of streets - under a city councilman's proposal that aims to slow the city's climbing homicide count. The legislation - which met with a lukewarm response from Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration yesterday, and which others likened to martial law - would allow police to close liquor stores and bars, limit the number of people on city sidewalks and halt traffic in areas declared "public safety act zones." It comes as the number of homicides in Baltimore reached 108, up from 98 at the same time last year. . .

In addition to closing businesses in the zones, the bill would permit police to limit the number of people who could gather on sidewalks, in streets or in other outdoor areas. It would prohibit the sale and possession of weapons, though Curran acknowledged that weapons used by criminals are almost always already obtained illegally. Zones could be established solely by the mayor, initially for a two weeks, with the option to renew indefinitely.

Provisions of the bill are identical to a law in Philadelphia that recently gained attention when a mayoral candidate and former city councilman proposed relying more aggressively on the code. That candidate, Michael Nutter, won the Democratic nomination for mayor Tuesday. . .

Philadelphia's law allows the city to impose a curfew in the emergency zones, but Curran said he removed that provision from his bill because it seemed too strict.

The blog:
http://prorev.com/2007/05/baltimore-philadelphia-move-towards.htm


'Desperate' plan to slow crime
Council bill would put areas of city under enforcement some liken to martial law
By John Fritze
Sun reporter
Originally published May 17, 2007

Large swaths of Baltimore could be declared emergency areas subject to heightened police enforcement - including a lockdown of streets - under a city councilman's proposal that aims to slow the city's climbing homicide count.

The legislation - which met with a lukewarm response from Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration yesterday, and which others likened to martial law - would allow police to close liquor stores and bars, limit the number of people on city sidewalks and halt traffic in areas declared "public safety act zones." It comes as the number of homicides in Baltimore reached 108, up from 98 at the same time last year.

"Desperate measures are needed when we're in desperate situations," said City Council Vice President Robert W. Curran, the bill's author. "What I'm trying to do is give the mayor additional tools."

By introducing the legislation, Curran - who is an ally of Dixon - is promoting increased enforcement at a time when City Hall is moving in the opposite direction, shifting away from zero tolerance and toward an approach that focuses more attention on individual criminals. Dixon has sought to ease tension between police and residents who feel the city's past arrest policies were overzealous.

The entire article cont'd:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.md.ci.emergency17may17,0,620067.story?coll=bal-home-headlines