December 12, 2006
SPARE SOME CHANGE?
Someone's tin cup overfloweth this week. From WNBC's site:
A Bronx panhandler hit the big payday when he sued New York City for false arrest and was awarded $100,000
[the Daily News says $100,001].
Eddie Wise said he was arrested 27 times for panhandling and he decided to sue. The city admitted in court that it was using a panhandling law that was declared unconstitutional in 1992.
The 45-year-old Wise says he'll use the money to move down south. But Monday, the Daily News reported he was at his usual corner on Fordham Road in the Bronx asking for small change.
While this may seem outrageous to some, I think being falsely arrested 27 times constitutes some serious harrassment that merits compensation. It reminds me of loitering laws in the Jim Crow south, where unemployed black men were run out of town or sent to chain gangs simply for being unemployed. Either way, if you need someone to spot you $10 or so, Eddie Wise is currently flush and available up in the Bronx.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at December 12, 2006 1:04 PM
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