LAS VEGAS — The ACLU of Nevada on Wednesday opposed a proposal by the Las Vegas City Council to establish so-called “order out corridors.” The Nevada Supreme Court has yet to decide whether a sibling ordinance approved by the Clark County Commission is constitutional.
The ACLU of Nevada has said the order-out corridor violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
ACLU of Nevada Staff Attorney Tatiana Smith said:
“This provision is written to be used as a cudgel against people who are homeless, street performers, and protesters, and as an excuse to conduct stop-and-frisk searches on the people of Las Vegas. We will fight for the rights of Nevadans, and we’ll continue to seek to litigate excessive government restrictions on our public spaces.”
ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah said:
“The public safety rhetoric being used to promote the City of Las Vegas' proposal here is the kind of generic, typical talking points governments often use when undercutting civil liberties. This order out provision only shifts the people the city has decided are ‘undesirable,’ especially people who are experiencing homelessness, from commercial areas downtown into residential neighborhoods or jails. It’s a lazy approach typical of government and ignores the constitutional safeguards used to protect people’s rights.”
