Share
SACRAMENTO — The city of Sacramento has filed an unusual lawsuit to ban seven men considered to be a “public nuisance” from a popular business corridor.
The lawsuit alleges the men are “drug users, trespassers, thieves … and violent criminals” who have illegal weapons and ammunition and have forced police to dedicate an “excessive amount” of resources to the Broadway corridor.
The suit includes declarations from local business and property owners, who claim they have been threatened.
Alcala Wood said in a statement Sunday such lawsuits are not appropriate in every situation, but this case warrants legal action. She said this type of lawsuit will only be filed with the neighborhood’s support.
“The City of Sacramento will seek injunctive relief when criminal activity in an area has become excessive when compared to similar neighborhoods, and other enforcement remedies have not proven successful,” she said. “In this case, the residents and businesses along the Broadway corridor have been subjected to ongoing criminal activity from a relatively small group of people. The suit looks to address that issue head-on and protect the safety of everyone who lives in or visits the area.”
‘A Huge Assault on Civil Liberties’
The suit is filed against Sean Conner, Michael Dibiasio, Dimitriy Gologyuk, Troy Green, Kelvin C. Peterson, Joseph Soto and Kenneth Whitlock. Some of the men are believed to be homeless and efforts to reach them Sunday were unsuccessful. It also wasn’t known if they had lawyers who could comment on their behalf.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction that would bar the men from being in the designated area “at any time.” The city argues that unless the men are banned from the area, their activity will continue to “cause great and irreparable injury to the residents and businesses,” who have “suffered emotional distress in the form of fear, intimidation and anxiety.”
Sacramento civil rights attorney Mark Merin told The Bee he would fight the lawsuit, calling it “a huge assault on civil liberties.”
Fresno State’s Randa Jarrar Dragged Out of Event Featuring Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik
12 hours ago
Trump Calls Judge ‘Crooked’ After Facing a Warning of Jail Time if He Violates a Trial Gag Order
12 hours ago
Federal Reserve Says Interest Rates Will Stay at Two-Decade High Until Inflation Further Cools
12 hours ago
House Passes Bill Expanding Antisemitism Definition Amid Campus Protests Over Gaza War
12 hours ago
Trump Awarded 36 Million More Trump Media Shares Worth $1.8 Billion
14 hours ago
New Battlegrounds Emerge in California’s Political Guerrilla War Over Housing
15 hours ago
Fresno State Shows the Nation How a Peaceful Palestinian Protest is Done