Loitering Law Targets Homeless | Concord News

Concord News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 4, 2026 · 2m

A federal judge weighs whether New Hampshire’s decades-old loitering law, which allows police to stop anyone “causing alarm,” unfairly targets the homeless — a claim backed by ACLU data showing over half of dismissed cases in Manchester and Concord involved unhoused individuals. Robert Clark, once homeless, argues the law is unconstitutionally vague and leads to overpolicing, while state officials counter he lacks standing since he’s now housed. The judge questions if the law’s enforcement disproportionately affects those without homes — raising Fourth Amendment concerns — as the ACLU pushes…