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Compiled By GayToday
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Detroit, Michigan--The Wayne County, Michigan Prosecutor's Office was commended
yesterday by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for having put a halt to the
selective entrapment and prosecution of gay men. The NGLTF thanked Michigan's
Triangle Foundation for its efforts to end the harassment.
For years, gay men in Michigan have complained of police stings in Wayne
County that resulted in arrests for soliciting sex from undercover police
officers when they had done nothing but flirt or walk away. |
Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Duggan: "I'm not going to charge people criminally for what they thought was a consensual act between adults." |
Some were charged with being an "annoying person," a misdemeanor, while others had
their vehicles impounded and had to pay a $900 fee to have them returned.
On Monday, Wayne County Prosecutor Mike Duggan announced that his office
would no longer prosecute men who are approached and propositioned by
undercover police decoys.
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"I'm not going to charge people criminally for
what they thought was a consensual act between adults," said Duggan, who
added that such tactics appeared to unfairly target gays.
"We do not send female officers into sports bars to come on to guys to see which ones
respond and then arrest them. We should not be sending undercover
decoys...to do exactly the same thing."
NGLTF Executive Director Lorri L. Jean welcomed the new policy:
"Decoys, entrapment, vehicle seizures and arresting people for private
conduct are tactics used to harass and intimidate gay men," Jean said.
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Related Sites:
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
Wayne County
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"We strongly commend the Triangle Foundation for exercising vigilance,
educating the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and advocating for
justice and equal treatment for gay men in Detroit."
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