Haifetz v. Rizzo

178 F. Supp. 828, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2589
District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania·Decided December 9, 1959·No. Civ. A. No. 25972·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

CLARY, District Judge.

This is an action brought by plaintiffs. Melvin Haifetz and Harvey Walters, a minor, against defendants, Frank Rizzo, then Commanding Officer of the Nineteenth Police District of Philadelphia, located at 12th and Pine Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the City of Philadelphia itself, for an injunction and damages under the provisions of Title 42 U..S.C.A. § 1983 (1957), which Act is generally referred to as the Civil Rights Act. Under its provisions any one wlm claims the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States by any person acting under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory, may maintain an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress of such wrongs.

Melvin Haifetz from approximately June of 1958 owned and operated the Humoresque Coffee Shop, located at 2036 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wherein coffee, tea, cafe ex-presso and pastries were sold and served to the customers. According to the complaint and the testimony at the hearings, the customers were encouraged by the plaintiff Haifetz to engage in games of chess with equipment provided by him; to read magazines and books provided by him and his customers; to listen to classical music played on a high-fidelity recorder provided by him, and to engage in literary discussions and compose original prose and poetry, some of which was displayed on a bulletin board maintained by Haifetz in the premises for that purpose and for the purpose of posting notices of forthcoming “cultural events” throughout the City of Philadelphia. The complaint. alleges a series of mass raids on the establishment and its customers by defendant Rizzo which resulted in a denial of the right of Haifetz and his customers to peaceably assemble with others in the premises maintained by him; denial of the right of such persons to be secure in their persons, house, papers and [830]*830effects against unreasonable searches and seizures; denial of the right of privacy; denial of the right to be secure from false and malicious arrest, imprisonment and prosecution, and denial of the right to speak to counsel in such situations. Further, it is alleged that such actions destroyed the property rights of the plaintiff Haifetz. All of this was allegedly done under color of State law.

The relief requested was a permanent injunction against defendant Rizzo from entering the place without a warrant, unless he had reasonable grounds to believe that a felony had been committed or was being committed therein, interfering with the conduct of the business, or the peaceful assembly of the plaintiff and his customers, interference with the right of privacy, harassing the plaintiff and his customers, and threatening to drive the plaintiff out of business. In addition, Haifetz requested damages against both defendants jointly and severally in the amount of $25,000. Plaintiff Walters, who was arrested in a raid to be discussed hereinafter, asked damages against both defendants jointly and severally in the amount of $15,000.

After a three-day hearing on the preliminary injunction, the Court on the 26th day of March, 1959, filed a memorandum opinion and order, D.C., 171 F. Supp. 654, denying the petition for a preliminary injunction by the plaintiffs against defendant Frank Rizzo, reserving all questions of violation of Constitutional rights to the final hearing. The City of Philadelphia filed briefs and argued its motion to dismiss on the ground that a municipality is not a ‘person’ within the meaning of the provisions of Title 42 U.S.C.A. § 1983.

At the specific request of counsel for both plaintiffs and defendant Rizzo, decision in the matter was delayed pending discussion of a possible practical solution of the problems involved and, perhaps, an amicable settlement of the disputes between the parties. It having become apparent within the past few weeks that the matter can not be adjusted between the parties, and the parties now having stipulated of record that the testimony given at the preliminary injunction hearing might be considered as on final hearing for the purpose of determining the question of liability, the matter is now ripe for final decision.

Without attempting to refer specifically to the testimony of any particular witness, the overall situation demonstrated by the record made in this case from the inception of Haifetz’s purchase of the Humoresque Coffee Shop is as follows. During several months prior to Haifetz’s acquisition of the place in June of 1958, a Coffee Shop had been conducted at the premises. Between January of 1958 and June of 1958 the Police had been summoned to the neighborhood sporadically because of noise emanating in and around the Coffee Shop on a few occasions. However, beginning in June of 1958 and continuing until the events which provoked the present litigation, a period from June of 1958 to February of 1959, the Police were called to the location on upwards of twenty-five occasions. These visits were usually occasioned by anonymous telephone calls complaining of disturbances there. In the vast majority of instances when the Police arrived at the place, those creating the disturbance had fled and the Police were unable to make arrests. Haifetz himself on two or three occasions had called the Police for help in quelling disturbances occurring in front of his establishment.

The testimony reveals that on many occasions the Coffee Shop was conducted in an orderly manner. The testimony also shows that regularly throughout the entire period involved under Haifetz’s management, the establishment was frequented by minors — boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 21 years, and that it drew its patronage from all parts of the City, rather than the immediate neighborhood. Further, and this testimony is credited and believed by the Court, it became a gathering place of homosexuals and narcotic addicts to the extent that the Police felt it necessary to put undercover operators to observe the meeting of such addicts and thereafter [831]*831follow up the activities of those meeting in the Coffee Shop. The record does not demonstrate that there was any sale of narcotics made in the Coffee Shop although the activities which followed at different locations are highly suggestive that it was a convenient place to make arrangements for future transactions to be consummated off the premises.

The neighborhood in which the Coffee Shop is located is a mixed business and residential neighborhood. Almost immediately across the street from the Coffee Shop is a large parking lot which is open twenty-four hours a day with its concomitant noise of operation during the evening and night hours. Near the end of the same block towards Twentieth Street and some distance removed from the Coffee Shop is a taproom. The evidence clearly shows, however, that prior to the inception of the operation of the Coffee Shop, noises were minimal. On occasion there was some noise and horn blowing from the parking lot but these occasions were rare. There was never any noise or complaints of noise about the operation of the taproom. With the advent of Haifetz’s operation of the Coffee Shop, however, the situation changed. Young people in the age bracket above set forth were wont to gather together particularly over the weekends at the Coffee Shop. Numerous sport cars would bring the patrons to the Coffee Shop and loud mufflers and racing of motors disturbed the theretofore calm of the street between the hours of 10 p. m. and 1 a. m., seriously interfering with the resident neighbors’ sleep.

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Haifetz v. Rizzo, 178 F. Supp. 828, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2589 (E.D. Pa. 1959).

178 F. Supp. 828 (Haifetz v. Rizzo) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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