Anti-Loitering Law Challenged in Court; Annapolis Case Focuses on Black Areas From: The Washington Post | Date: February 17, 2001| Author: Manuel Roig-Franzia | Copyright 2001 The Washington Post. This material is published under license from the Washington Post.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post.Copyright information

The debate over an Annapolis loitering law was distilled here today to an argument about what is best for people living in the mostly black neighborhoods where it is most likely to be applied.

American Civil Liberties Union attorney David Lubitz told a federal judge that the law would be used to discriminate against black people by unconstitutionally subjecting them to the whims of police armed with what he called a vague law that punishes innocuous activity, such as talking on the p...