The disposition from the internal investigation did not address either claim. Larry Spinosa, who heads internal affairs, did not return calls seeking comment. Peck said police did not take into account that the five witness statements contradicted the officers' accounts. Initially these people who were accosted were accused of violating city law by soliciting out on Fremont Street. Now, once Metro has obtained a better understanding of the city ordinance, they say they were called to the scene because these petitioners were acting up.
City law prevents people from begging, soliciting financial contributions or other valuables.
There is no mention in the ordinance of any ban against handing out leaflets or asking for signatures. The ability of people to freely express their opinions on Fremont Street has been at the center of an ongoing fight between the ACLU, the Fremont Street Experience and the city of Las Vegas. In October the ACLU filed suit against the city, arguing a 1995 ordinance creating the pedestrian mall and giving downtown casinos broad control over the area was unconstitutional. A decision by a U.S. District Court judge essentially ruled that the Fremont Street Experience is not open to all types of free speech, even though public monies were used to convert the area into a mall. Com Marijuana News Send a Virtual Hit Search Marijuana.