Charlotte Cops Get Expanded Powers

The Charlotte City Council has voted to give police expanded powers during the Democratic convention. Among the new ordinances is a law allowing the random stopping and frisking of any person.

The vote was met with shouts of "Shame!" from a packed council chamber, which prompted most of the council and Mayor Anthony Foxx to temporarily leave the dais. Protesters upset at the vote continued to shout chants, such as "Evict us, we multiply ... Occupy will never die," in the lobby of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. No arrests were reported. The city has said the changes protect the First Amendment, though the American Civil Liberties Union has said some of the measures go too far, including giving the police power to arrest people carrying backpacks, satchels or coolers if they believe the items are being used to carry weapons.

Police say backpacks have been used to carry rocks and other projectiles at convention disturbances in the past. Body armor and bike helmets have also been forbidden, prompting the ACLU to note that any business person biking to work with a bag will be subject to arrest.