The Chicago Tribune posted an article about the lawsuit filed today, which challenges the Chicago Housing Authority's (CHA) drug testing policy. Joseph Peery is a CHA resident and ACLU's plaintiff in the case. He has lived in a mixed-income housing development and has had to undergo annual drug testing in order to stay in his apartment. The ACLU of Illinois believes this is a violation of Mr. Peery's privacy under the 4th Amendment.

“It’s humiliating, embarrassing, stigmatizing, and it’s unfair,” Peery said in an interview. “I think it needs to end.”

Read the whole thing.

WBEZ reporter Natalie Moore interviewed ACLU of Illinois plaintiff Joseph Peery about the lawsuit filed today which challenges the Chicago Public Housing Authority's drug testing policy. Peery has lived in a mixed-income development on the site of the former Cabrini Green housing project, and must undergo annual drug testing in order to keep living there. WBEZ spoke with ACLU of Illinois attorney Karen Sheley:

“There’s no question that being forced to urinate into a cup, hand over the urine and have it tested by the government is a search that can violate the Fourth Amendment. In this instance, the government would have to come up with a really good reason for why Mr. Peery’s privacy and all the other CHA tenants’ privacy would be violated. We just don’t think they have a reason that justifies it,” said Karen Sheley, an ACLU attorney.

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The Chicago Sun-Times wrote about the new lawsuit filed today which challenges the Chicago Public Housing Authority's (CHA) suspicionless drug testing policy for public housing residents. The client in the case is Joseph Peery, who lives in a mixed-income development near the former site of the Cabrini Green housing development, and must undergo annual, humiliating drug testing in order to keep his apartment.

“I’m required to go into the business office, urinate in a jar, then hand it to an office staffer. Anyone working in or visiting the office can watch the process,” Peery said Wednesday. “It’s embarrassing. You can only imagine how the grandmothers in the developments feel. We’re being singled out in public housing. It’s not fair.”

The policy, which affects more than 1,000 mixed-income CHA residents, violates the privacy guarantees of the Fourth Amendment, and Illinois Constitution, the ACLU said.

Read the entire article.