Charges dropped against homeless man

Arrest for sitting on a sidewalk became source of confusion

A homeless man arrested last week for sitting on a downtown Orlando sidewalk had the charge against him dropped.

In a court filing city prosecutor Alex Weaver said he wouldn’t pursue Paul Clark, 62, for violating a city ordinance banning people from sitting or lying down on downtown Orlando sidewalks.

The document filed late last week didn’t offer further details as to why the charge isn’t being prosecuted.

Clark, was taken into custody Jan. 8, about two hours after the Orlando City Council approved a new ordinance making it a violation if someone was found to be intentionally blocking a sidewalk and refused to move. City officials promised the council that the ordinance would not be used to target the homeless.

Clark’s subsequent arrest spawned significant confusion.

Police initially said his arrest was the first for violating the new language in the city’s disorderly conduct law. Later, the agency said its arresting documents cited an older, but similar, city rule.

Clark, who has been arrested dozens of times over the years for various violations, was found sitting in front of the Taco Bell Cantina at Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue by an officer, who wrote in his arrest report that Clark had been warned numerous times that he wasn’t allowed to sit there.

In the city council hearing the same day more than a dozen activists expressed fears the new ordinance could be used against the homeless, echoing fears of some homeless services providers in the region.

City officials maintained that wasn’t their intention and said they were trying to keep sidewalks clear for pedestrians, especially late at night as bars and nightclubs close at 2 a.m.