Dictionary Definition:
loi·ter (loitr)
intr.v. loi·tered, loi·ter·ing, loi·ters
1. To stand idly about; linger aimlessly.
2. To proceed slowly or with many stops: loitered all the way home.
3. To delay or dawdle: loiter over a task
:
Prince William County Code Sec. 16-16 states as follows:
Any person who remains or loiters on property, whether such property is publicly or privately owned, in such a manner as to impede or hinder the passage of pedestrians or vehicles, or in such manner as to interfere with or interrupt the conduct of business, or who remains or loiters on such property knowing that an offense is being committed, or under circumstances which justify a reasonable suspicion that such person may be engaged in, or is about to engage in, a crime, or with the purpose of begging, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor; provided, however, that such person shall have first been instructed to move on by a law-enforcement officer and shall have failed or refused to comply with such instruction.
NO LOITERING signs have been up all over the place for years. Some of the signs are to keep kids from gathering and hanging out. Signs are put up to keep people from taking advantage of store fronts. In general, the loitering ordinances are to keep people from gathering where other people (usually shop owners or local governments) don’t want a crowd hanging out.
This post and resulting thread are to discuss loitering in general, not the specific case brought forth by the ACLU. Please keep case specific comments on the other thread. How are loitering laws used? Are they necessarily bad? Good? How do they help communities? How do they hurt communities?
Again, please honor the request–nothing specific here to the PWC case.
