Police ticket homeless jaywalkers after evacuation

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Last Updated: Friday, June 8, 2007 | 11:47 AM MT
CBC News

Calgary police handed jaywalking tickets to homeless people evacuated from a shelter Thursday morning, upsetting residents and the centre's executive director.

People inside the Drop-In Centre were told to leave after the discovery of an electrical problem. Executive director Dermot Baldwin estimates about 50 residents were given tickets after they exited the building.

"You've got hundreds of people who've been evacuated from the building and the police are giving out jaywalking tickets," he said. "It's not a helpful thing. It's not a service to the people, that's for sure."

He said many of those ticketed, especially the mentally ill, won't be able to afford to pay the $57 fine and will likely have to go to jail.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/06/08/jaywalking-homeless.html