California city bans homeless from sleeping outside
A California city has passed two ordinances aimed at clearing out the homeless population.
Last week, Manteca city council members unanimously voted in favor of the legislation.
One will ban people from sleeping or setting up encampments on any public or private property as of December 4, although the homeless won’t be jailed or fined. It will, however, allow the police to tear down any homeless sleeping areas as soon as they appear without having to be invited by the property owner, as was the case previously.
Explaining why the ordinance is necessary, Police Chief Nick Obligacion said, “The goal is actually to correct the wrong. So, if the correction is them leaving Manteca, then that’s their choice.” He also opposes any sort of shelter for the homeless.
The other ordinance bans public urination and defecation, but also comes after the city temporarily closed public restrooms in a park, a location often used by the homeless to relieve themselves in private.
Manteca is among a growing list of cities in the country that “solves” the problem of mass homelessness by criminalizing it. 187 cities have implemented ordinances aimed at making it illegal to be homeless by banning people form lying down or having possessions with them.
34 percent of cities have bans on camping in public, a 60 percent increase from three years ago.
13 cities have made it illegal to help to homeless. They’ve banned people from giving them food, and a Florida man was recently arrested for doing just that.
Unbelievable.
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