Matthew J. Ruff Federal Criminal Law Blog on Lawyers.com

The police department in Santa Monica is under fire. According to the ACLU's legal director, Mark Rosenbaum, "Santa Monica is effectively running a deportation program for the homeless".  As a Santa Monica Criminal Defense Attorney I can certainly attest to the fact that more arrests and charges are brought against the homeless in that city.

Despite their collaborations with local drug and alcohol treatment centers, it is the Santa Monica police department that is the primary target of the ACLU federal lawsuit against Santa Monica City Hall filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of six homeless people suffering from mental and physical disabilities.

The 20-page lawsuit is pressuring lawmakers to withhold funding for Santa Monica shelters until the requested changes are made by the city.  "It's not only illegal but callous and inhumane for any city to have its police officers cite, arrest and harass mentally ill or physically disabled homeless persons," said Mark Rosenbaum