by Nomad
Otherwise ignored by mainstream media, the
Washington Post picked up an interesting news article the other day
regarding homelessness and a DOJ challenge the local
ordinances against vagancy.
To Be Without a Home, Like a Complete Unknown
Boise, like many US cities,
passed an ordinance which banned sleeping or camping in public places. That
city is by no means unique.
The usual knee-jerk reaction to a visible and embarrassing problem has been to find a way to make it a criminal offense. The idea is basically if we can't prevent it, we can make it illegal and then we can make it invisible.
The usual knee-jerk reaction to a visible and embarrassing problem has been to find a way to make it a criminal offense. The idea is basically if we can't prevent it, we can make it illegal and then we can make it invisible.
According to last year's report from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, a survey of 187 cities found that:
- 24% of cities impose city-wide bans on begging in public.
- 76% of cities prohibit begging in particular public places.
- 33% of cities make it illegal to loiter in public throughout an entire city.
- 65% of cities prohibit the activity in particular public places.
- 53% of cities prohibit sitting or lying down in particular public places.
- 43% of cities prohibit sleeping in vehicles.
- 9% of cities prohibit sharing of food
A recent study by UC Berkeley School of Law noted that more
Californian cities have enacted more anti-vagrancy laws than in any other part
of the country. with Los Angeles and San Francisco topping the list.
The laws restrict anything from panhandling to sharing food with a homeless person to sitting in public spaces.
