Rising Hegemon
Law enforcement in Baton Rouge have reportedly been using an invalid, unconstitutional law to target and arrest adult gay men, according to a new report.
The Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office sting was revealed on Saturday by the Baton Rouge Advocate, which investigated the arrests of at least a dozen Louisiana gay men since 2011 who agreed to consensual gay sex with undercover officers. In all of the cases, the men were arrested under the state's anti-sodomy law, which was struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2003 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas.
Technically invalid yet still on the books
The last line is a good summary of a lot of the South's politics.
...and yes, I know there are a lot of very good people in the South...but clearly not enough.
4 comments:
Geez, how awful. And I live in Baton Rouge.
I suppose the very small bit of not-as-bad news is that the DA declined to prosecute...and a surprising number of people commenting on the local paper's website are taking issue with the EBRPSO -- people who usually take quite the wingnut stance.
Well, now that there's a severe shortage of black people in Louisiana after the `caine, they've got to keep the arrest records up, somehow....
There are good people in the South...but apparently not enough to prevent their elected officials being predominantly authoritarian assholes and ignorant douchebags.
freedumbs.
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