Mayor defends Fremont Street arrests

Judy Odierna

Friday, Dec. 13, 2002 | 11:09 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman defended Thursday's series of arrests on Fremont Street by city marshals and Metro Police, calling the action part of the city's cleanup efforts in the area.

"We are going to get the prostitutes and the drug dealers off (the streets)," Goodman said Thursday. "Any jaywalker that was arrested (had) a criminal record."

The nature of the sweep drew the attention of American Civil Liberties Union officials, who say the constitutional rights of those being arrested are being violated.

Throughout the day Thursday, Metro Police officers, Las Vegas city marshals and municipal court marshals detained pedestrians on Eighth and Fremont streets for minor offenses such as jaywalking or panhandling. Once an offender was in custody, officers checked to see if there were any warrants for the person.

Lt. Jeff Dufrene said that 42 people had been arrested by the end of the day, and that 34 of the arrests were on misdemeanor charges.

The ACLU was critical of the sweep.

"I am deeply disappointed that (Goodman), who has had a long and honorable career defending constitutional rights, would be so dismissive in them in this instance," said Gary Peck, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada.

"I suspect that any criminal defense lawyer whose client was arrested for jaywalking and taken to jail merely because they had a criminal history would be screaming about it and rightly so."

Goodman said violations of the law in that area will not be tolerated.

"If the ACLU doesn't like it there's always a courtroom," he said. "I love lawsuits."

Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the ACLU, said his organization would prefer to talk to Metro Police and the city first before taking any legal action.

"I understand the mayor is a politician and there's a little posturing with that, but we'd rather talk than simply go sue them," Lichtenstein said. "We're not shy about filing lawsuits, but we don't do it at the drop of a hat."