Detroit Drops Charges Against Raided Art Museum Patrons ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - The City of Detroit has agreed to drop all charges against patrons of an art museum that was raided last May.

Police raided a late-night party at the Contemporary Art Museum of Detroit in May.

Police say the museum didn't have a liquor license. But they also ticketed the patrons for violating a city ordinance that bans loitering in a place of illegal occupation, and impounded their cars.

Kari Moss is Director of the ACLU of Michigan. She says the ordinance is unconstitutional. She says she hopes Detroit's new police chief will re-focus the force's attention to real crimes.

"We've just had a fair number of cases like this where the police seemed to be using these kind of opportunities to take cars and make some money."

Moss says the ACLU will pressure Detroit to revise the ordinance. © Copyright 2009, Michigan Radio