Tennessee makes homeless camping a felony

[Diamond_Dog]

So, if you’re homeless and camping, Tennessee equates you with hardened criminals, embezzlers, drug dealers, and murderers? Then they claim they won’t always enforce it? Is the point to add another layer of worry to your misery? Punishable by six months in prison and loss of voting rights??

******

COOKEVILLE, TENN. —
Miranda Atnip lost her home during the coronavirus pandemic after her boyfriend moved out and she fell behind on bills. Living in a car, the 34-year-old worries every day about getting money for food, finding somewhere to shower, and saving up enough money for an apartment where her three children can live with her again.

Now she has a new worry: Tennessee is about to become the first U.S. state to make it a felony to camp on local public property such as parks.

“Honestly, it’s going to be hard,” Atnip said of the law, which takes effect July 1. “I don’t know where else to go.”

Tennessee already made it a felony in 2020 to camp on most state-owned property. In pushing the expansion, Sen. Paul Bailey noted that no one has been convicted under that law and said he doesn’t expect this one to a be enforced much, either. Neither does Luke Eldridge, a man who has worked with homeless people in the city of Cookeville and supports Bailey’s plan — in part because he hopes it will spur people who care about the homeless to work with him on long-term solutions.

The law requires that violators receive at least 24 hours notice before an arrest. The felony charge is punishable by up to six years in prison and the loss of voting rights.

https://www.voanews.com/a/with-public-camping-becoming-a-felony-tennessee-homeless-running-out-of-options/6584218.html

[Walleye]

1. Find the ones who voted for this law and camp on their property

[Diamond_Dog]

5. IMO

If anyone should be charged with something, it’s the greedy investors who buy up property and let it sit there vacant, or buy up apartment buildings then Jack up the rent to make money which in turn causes evictions,

[Walleye]

7. 👆In the minds of the right wing only the unfortunate are criminals

[Johnny2X2X]

2. Absolutely sick

The extremism on the Right is the story the media should be covering. They're going full totalitarianism.

Throwing people in prison for being homeless, just disgusting.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. I will guarantee you every one of those who voted for this is a 'Krisschin' but Jesus said:

Matthew 25:35-40

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

[Probatim]

9. I was getting a lecture about poverty from a christian/republican once when I asked

what Jesus said about the poor and downtrodden. He knew the answer immediately since he'd read the bible many, many times - he told me "they'd always be there".

I recited most of those passages to him and asked him if he ever recalled reading it. At that point, the lecture was over. We still haven't talked to this day and I don't miss him.

[CurtEastPoint]

11. Say what you will about old JC: sometimes he was spot on. And they hate that. The Pubes, I mean

[Ferrets are Cool]

13. I've ALWAYS said that if christians lived their lives based on the "red" parts of the bible

the world would be a much nicer place.
But, alas, they don't.

[Jilly_in_VA]

14. Well, here's one from the "red" part of their bible

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

[Probatim]

15. I've always said christians will be lining up to crucify JC upon his second coming.

The NT was meant to lift up a downtrodden people. It gave hope to outcasts. Now it's used as a cudgel to keep the same people in line.

The biggest takeaway from the bible is that you don't want to mess with the powers that be. They crucified JC and in modern history, they killed MLK, RFK, JFK, and untold others.

They may not literally crucify him, but they'll find other ways to diminish his message should he return.

[Emile]

4. Just another way of denying people their right to vote!

[Walleye]

8. Yep

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. Welcome To Rightworld! Where everyone but the old

white guys are miserable and afraid.

I remember once hearing a woman say that she could always tell the American tourists to Russia because they weren't afraid.

Now I understand what she meant. I am getting afraid.

[Jerry2144]

10. "that no one has been convicted under that law and said he doesn't expect this one to a be enforced"

Then why make this law? It isn’t needed unless you want to just hurt people who have nothing. Such good Christians, aren’t republiklans?

[Ferrets are Cool]

12. And if it is a magat that is arrested for this "felony", they will blame the Democrats.

Since magats blame the Democrats for EVERYTHING.

Hey fuckwads, here is an idea. If it is NOT going to be enforced "much" as you state, they why the FUCK make it a Felony?

Well shit. It hit me after I hit post. The reason that he put the "much" in there is so they could handpick the offenders. Sheesh, I feel so stupid now. The ONLY offenders will be POC. FUCK, I am so stupid.

[Hortensis]

16. Oh, virtuous white bigots do NOT like poor whites at all either, who

disturb their white superiority notions. Research on abuse ranging from deliberate neglect to physical attacks and active persecution of poor whites supports that big time, and I experienced that various times as a poor white child.

Also, conservatives tend to believe all people will behave poorly if not forced to behave well, that both lack of punishment and too much government assistance lead to degradation of society, and that's a main foundational driver of conservative punitive use of government. Another's bigotry, of course.

This law will be used to slam all homeless, not I'm guessing that TN will be providing shelter to many for more than the handful of days it takes to process them. Stripping of voting rights is probably a different matter, but don't expect whites to get off much better -- it's a point of batshit craziness with the Repub base, including the poor ones, to KNOW that poor people have learned to be lazy and expect government to take care of them, i.e., would vote Democratic if they could.

[LiberatedUSA]

17. So the law is going to punish people without food and shelter...

…by paying for their food and shelter for up to six years?

Hope they have a lot of jail cells, because there is going to be a lot more homeless and hungry people the higher gas goes (which increases food costs).

More crime to with people stressed out. More road rage. Society isn’t doing well.

[Aristus]

18. Jesus Christ! One the one hand: "Get a job!" On the other: "Felony conviction".

Do they have any idea how hard it is for a convicted felon to "get a job"?

The criminalization of poverty and homelessness in this country is its own crime right there...

[dlk]

19. This is just one more creative method of voter suppression

They never quit.

[moondust]

20. Only wealthy fascists & theocrats welcome!

All you libtards and beggars who might need some gubment services requiring us to pay taxes and who might still vote for somebody else--git outta here!

(harass 'em until they leave is an old trick)

[struggle4progress]

21. "Foxes have dens, and birds nests, but man's Son has nowhere to lay his head"

Matthew 8:20

[maxsolomon]

22. Push the problem out of sight, preferably over the border.

Statewide Sunset Laws.

[LiberalFighter]

23. But it would be okay for those not homeless to camp?