Our Work
Court Approves Preliminary Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit Against FDOC For Confiscation of Millions of Dollars of Digital Music (5/26/2020) - MIAMI/TALLAHASSEE/TAMPA BAY – Today, a federal judge preliminarily approved a settlement resolving a statewide class action lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) involving the confiscation of millions of dollars of lawfully purchased digital music from incarcerated people in Florida. The settlement requires the FDOC to provide 3.9 million credits for class members to… ... Continue Reading
Civil Rights Groups Demand Answers from the City of Miami about the Treatment of People Living under the I-395 Overpass on 11th Street Northwest (5/14/2020) - We – the Greater Miami ACLU, litigants in Pottinger v. City of Miami, Southern Legal Counsel, and other advocates attempting to protect the rights of our local homeless residents – write to express our outrage at the indefensible and inhumane assault conducted this morning on the personal safety, health, and property of homeless persons under… ... Continue Reading
Civil Rights Groups Urge State Officials to Reduce Incarceration and Increase Testing (5/12/2020) - COVID-19 has begun to spread through Florida’s prisons, and will continue to do so unless dramatic action is taken to stop the impending humanitarian crisis. That’s why we’re asking state officials to do more to protect the health and safety of some of Florida’s most vulnerable residents. In a letter sent yesterday, FJI and other… ... Continue Reading
Latest News
Miami Beach Once Again Tries to Ban Panhandling, a Constitutionally Protected Activity Miami New Times (5/18/2020) - For years, Miami Beach leaders have done their utmost to make the city an unpleasant place for homeless people. Advocates have long complained that the city's homeless outreach office treats homeless residents rudely and isn't open when it's supposed to be. Since 2016, the city's police force has used the courts to commit drug- and alcohol-addicted… ... Continue Reading
Despite Coronavirus Warnings, Miami Area Police Are Still Arresting Hundreds of Homeless People The Appeal (5/11/2020) - Between March 12—when Miami-Dade County instituted a local state of emergency to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus—and April 30, police departments within Miami-Dade County arrested homeless people at least 313 times. Among the arrestees were at least 41 people charged with petit theft or attempted petit theft; 13 for simple battery; 26 for… ... Continue Reading
Arrested panhandler fights city’s law, saying it violated his free speech right South Florida Sun Sentinel (2/17/2020) - More than 100 people have run afoul of Pompano Beach’s ban on street solicitation in recent years, leading to a string of arrests and citations. But for one arrested homeless man, it has become a battleground for repealing the law that landed him behind bars. Bernard McDonald, a homeless and disabled laborer, is suing the… ... Continue Reading
