(San Francisco) Plazas and parklets the latest battleground in homeless war [View all]
Plazas and parklets the latest battleground in homeless war
All those new plazas and “parklets” across the city may seem downright adorable, but they’re the unlikely new hotspot in the never-ending battle over the city’s homeless policy.
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Highlights of Wiener’s legislation include banning sleeping at any time in the plazas; prohibiting camping, cooking or creating any kind of shelter; banning the selling or bartering of any merchandise without a permit; and prohibiting four-wheeled shopping carts. Also, plaza goers couldn’t smoke.
Violations would be an infraction with a maximum fine for repeat offenders of $500.
“It’s very clearly anti-homeless legislation,” said Jennifer Friedenbach, director of the Coalition on Homelessness, who is organizing a big turnout to decry the proposal at Monday’s land use committee meeting.
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Police Chief Greg Suhr sent a letter to Wiener asking him to beef up the legislation to include a ban on sitting on the pavement in the plazas between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Voters in 2010 approved a sit/lie ban on sidewalks citywide, but the measure specifically excluded pieces of land in the city’s “Pavement to Parks” program.
http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2012/01/22/plazas-and-parklets-the-latest-battleground-in-homeless-war/?tsp=1
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