SPRINGFIELD, MO – Richard Hill, a Bolivar resident who protested Bolivar’s panhandling ordinance by carrying a sign that read “I NEED MONEY,” now has the support of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri. Today they filed a federal lawsuit against the city for its unconstitutional panhandling ordinance enacted in March.
“Mr. Hill recognized that Bolivar’s new ordinance violated the First Amendment and cleverly tried to educate the community by walking around Bolivar with his sign,” explains Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri. “He used this form of communication during the grace period before the ordinance would be enforced and hasn’t protested since for fear of being arrested and prosecuted.”
“The ACLU has a rich history of opposing laws that limit speech, especially when they target those who are most vulnerable, like the homeless,” said Jeffrey A. Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. “Bolivar’s ordinance is so broad that it prohibits even street peddlers, unless they obtain peddler identification permits at a minimum cost of $25; a Girl Scout would have to sell a lot of cookies just to break even.”