City empowers itself to padlock businesses without proving guilt

Baltimore has revised its “Padlock Law” to make it easier for city officials to shut down a business for up to a year for being a “public nuisance.”

Previously, a business or property had to be convicted twice in two years for activities involving drugs, gambling, prostitution, stolen property or violence, as reported by the City Paper.

Under the new law, which 11 City Council members sponsored, “public nuisance” has been redefined to mean any place that receives two police citations.

This means proof of guilt is no longer required for the city to shut down a business.