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Activists to rally against body odor law

Feb 23, 2015

Activists in Burien, Washington, will protest a new law that bans people from having bad body odor in public.

The ordinance bans people from public places for "social offenses," such as excessive body odor, boisterous behavior and brushing their teeth in public places such as city parks, libraries and City Hall.

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Those who are caught smelling bad in public could be barred from being in that public place for as long as a year. 

The city says the idea is to protect people from offensive odors and behavior. But civil rights groups say the law is unconstitutional because it seems to single out a particular group of people, the homeless

Several civil rights groups are planning to march and rally at Burien City Hall Monday night.

"It's hard to believe that a well-dressed middle class woman is going to be booted out of the library for her perfume, whereas a homeless person is much more likely to be targeted," said Doug Honig with the American Civil Liberties Union.
 
According to a news release, the rally at 6:45 p.m. is meant to "expose the Burien City Council" for passing a law that "criminalizes and profiles homeless people."

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