Groups rally, urge Las Vegas mayor to dump 'ridiculous' homelessness proposal

[pecosbob]

If approved, the ordinance would make it a misdemeanor to sleep or camp in a public right-of-way if there are beds available at emergency shelters or space at the Homeless Courtyard Resource Center. The punishment comes with up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

Mayor Carolyn Goodman, who is sponsoring the ordinance, reiterated on Twitter Monday that the proposal is about the health and safety of the community and will help connect people to homeless services.

“The mayor said this ordinance is about compassion, but that’s ridiculous,” Paulsen told the crowd. “There is nothing compassionate about jailing and ticketing people for not having a home. This proposal is absurd, cruel and unjust.”

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction includes district courts in Nevada, ruled in 2018 that cities can’t punish people for sleeping on the streets if there isn’t adequate shelter. The city argues since the ordinance only works when shelter beds and space at the courtyard are at capacity. The community services department would alert Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the department of public safety of capacity every night.

However, Wesley Juhl, communications director with the ACLU of Nevada, countered the ordinance would still block people from life-sustaining activities.

“Those are things people do on the streets just to survive,” he said. “We’re talking about putting down a tarp down on hot pavement, sitting down in the shade or using a blanket when it’s cold. Under this ordinance, these are the things that are going to cost people $1,000 or lock them up behind bars.”

The ordinance is slated to be discussed at an Oct. 14 meeting of a recommending committee, which decides whether proposals will advance to the City Council agenda for a final vote. However, the groups are hoping Goodman pulls the ordinance beforehand.

If it does pass, Paulsen worries it could have a chilling effect on the outreach being done, especially considering the City of Las Vegas’ outreach team includes Metro officers.

“If someone has a warrant, they disengage from services,” Paulsen said. “They won’t trust law enforcement and officers doing street outreach if they have a warrant. They would be scared they’ll be taken to jail.”

https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2019/10/03/groups-rally-urge-mayor-to-dump-ridiculous-homelessness-proposal/

[Newest Reality]

1. The dastardly and dispicable way to deal with homelessness...

Criminalize it any way you can. Get rid of them. Incarcerate. Penalize. Ostracize them more.

Anybody can potentially become homeless! There is an affordable housing crisis across the country and good people, many who are employed, are being kicked out of the rental market. That shows no signs of abating, in fact, it may increase dramatically.

Very little is being done about it and even if it were, ground breaking takes time and so does construction. There is little in the way of new ground breaking for affordability. It does not seem to be a priority.

We have approximately 10,000 people reaching 65-years-of-age per day now in this country. Less than half of them have any assets or retirement funds other than Social Security, which is no where near an amount for most people to afford a room to let in many places, let alone an apartment. We will be seeing more and more elders on the streets due to this failure to address this in a humane and practical way. How is that going to fly? How many adults, children and seniors do they want to leave in squander and vulnerable or imprison and fine?

[DrToast]

2. It sounds cruel, but if there is room at shelters...

Then I think it’s reasonable to take steps to prevent homeless from sleeping anywhere.

But how about instead of arresting them, they get driven to a shelter?

[Johnny2X2X]

3. The shelters are unsafe hell holes

People do not go to shelters because they are not safe. They're usually filthy cesspools with no security.

[DrToast]

4. Well that's no beuno

[Johnny2X2X]

6. That's the primary reason

Many report being assaulted and mistreated at shelters. And the process to get admitted is too rigorous as well as rules about coming and going.

And on top of that many are faith based and discriminate against other faiths, the non religious, or LGBT homeless people.

Criminalizing homelessness has been accelerating in this country for years, it's disgusting.

[lunatica]

11. I've known homeless people who say shelters are worse than the streets

because they’re unsafe. They get their few belongings stolen violently off their backs.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. With the present make up of

our City Council,this is nothing surprising.

Most of the our Homeless Population fall into three groups. Vets and persons with mental illness plus Homeless Families who can not afford the Rent.

Again,look at our City Council,Wing nut Mayor and a Couple of Tea Bagger Council Persons.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

7. I wasn't aware Carolyn was a winger

I know Oscar went independent years ago.

I also know the city’s really pushing the downtown revitalization initiative, with Fremont Street set to close from LVBLD to 14th for a $15 million overhaul this month. This just pushes the downtown homeless elsewhere rather than addressing the root problems.

(I work downtown, so I see quite a bit.)

[Wellstone ruled]

9. The fellow who owns the D

is pushing this major up grade to Downtown. And the Homeless will be pushed South into unincorporated Vegas(Clark County) along Boulder Hwy. And into North Las Vegas just north of Downtown. In 2013 there was a spurt of buying the first two blocks either side of Vegas BLVD by mega developers with the idea of Gentrification of both Downtown and the Strip.

Clue,Carl Icahn does not dump a couple billion into Commercial Real Estate or Gaming properties without getting at least a double up effect.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

14. I think he bought the Bridger building

The old Clark County government office building, the blue one across from the jail. All the signage was taken off only a couple of months ago.

[pecosbob]

8. My go to guy for all matters Nevadan

Oscar Goodman never tried anything this stupid (that I recall). I know they had a mayor in San Francisco try this in the nineties but I recall it was very unpopular and that they stopped it pretty quick.

I cut the cable years ago and never see city council meetings on public access anymore. We swept most of the teabaggers from our federal offices, but I have not been paying attention...what happened to the city council? I thought they were pretty busy trying to stop party house rentals and trying to regulate pot.

Aside from the politics, I deal with homeless people at work on a daily basis and it can be a sore trial...particularly at night. But the real challenge is not to become inured to the situation.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Ward Six Council Person

being selected as Pres Pro Tem. That is one scary person. So if that person was selected,that gives one the position of the Council.

[pecosbob]

12. The name Fiore was an alarm I should have heard when I glanced at the councils' makeup earlier today

[Wellstone ruled]

13. P.M.