ACLU Settles Suit Over Cranston Ordinance Barring Roadside Solicitations
In an important victory against the criminalization of poverty, the ACLU of Rhode Island today announced the favorable settlement of a lawsuit filed last year against the City of Cranston, challenging a city ordinance barring the solicitation of donations from motorists. In a consent judgment entered in federal court today, the City acknowledged that the ordinance violated the free speech rights of Michael Monteiro, who is disabled and supplements his disability payments by soliciting charitable donations.