Southern Poverty Law Center

José Young saw firsthand how easy it was for young people to end up on the wrong side of the law.

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Alabama town stops prosecutions for late garbage bills after SPLC advocacy

By Dwayne Fatherree, Investigative Reporter | Read the full story here

Friend,

Growing up in Detroit, José Young saw firsthand how easy it was for young people to end up on the wrong side of the law. Instead of following that path, he made his way into the military, then to a factory where he assembled transmissions for the Ford Motor Co. until he lost his leg in an automobile accident and was unable to work.

So it was a shock when the Chickasaw, Alabama, resident found himself in court, charged with theft of services for falling behind on his sewage and trash collection bill.

“They were actually saying everything had to be paid in full,” Young said. “So even in court, right after being brought in, you either pay it all or you go to jail, right? That really had me worried.”

For a veteran who had made a conscious effort his entire life to stay on the right side of the law, the thought of having a criminal record was humiliating, especially when Alabama has a law that exempts people surviving on disability payments from trash collection fees. Young did not know he could apply for this exemption, and the city did not inform him of the exemption while his past-due fees accumulated.

Young was struggling to catch up on his bills and to get his garbage services restored when the SPLC sent a letter to the city raising constitutional concerns about its practices.

When the SPLC sent its letter on Sept. 11, the city’s policy was not to accept partial payments or restore services until past-due accounts were paid in full.

In bright red letters, each monthly bill stated: “All bills with a $125 balance or more are DUE IMMEDIATELY or Services will be Disconnected. If services are disconnected, additional late fees will apply and must be paid, in full, along with the balance before services can be reconnected. ... We do not make payment arrangements.”

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