Rosetta Watson called the police several times between September 2011 and February 2012. Watson, who is disabled and black, told them she needed protection from her abusive ex-boyfriend. One time, she called to them that he had kicked open the front door of her apartment in Maplewood, Missouri and punched her in the face while she slept. Another time, she told police that he hit her breast and choked her. Watson feared for her life.The police arrested her alleged abuser at least three times, but he wasn't detained for long. Instead, Watson was forced to move out of Maplewood, according to a new federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on Friday. Under the city's chronic nuisance ordinance, more than two police calls made at the same address within a 180-day period would prompt an eviction, even if the tenant is a domestic victim. The ACLU charges that, by enacting and enforcing the code, the city violates a person's constitutional right to police assistance, as well as fair housing laws.What's more, according to the complaint, people labeled "nuisances" must also leave the city for six months. The small suburb is one of several in St. Louis County that require residents to have an occupancy permit; anyone deemed to have violated Maplewood's code will have theirs revoked. Watson, who lost her Section 8 voucher in the process, ended up moving to St. Louis.Continue reading on Broadly.
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