Miami Considers Law Aimed at Expelling Homeless
Posted March 16, 2015 07:15 am
MIAMI,
FL - In the shadows of - and in contrast to - the city's
new multimillion-dollar condominiums, hundreds of
Miami's homeless can be seen seeking shelter in tents.
To address what he calls "safety concerns," City
Commissioner Mark Sarnoff is proposing an ordinance
designed to remove those tents by outlawing camping on
public property.
Sarnoff told fellow commissioners it would give police the right to issue citations and steer homeless people off the streets and into city-sponsored shelters.
"I think the purpose behind this ordinance, Mr. Chair,
is very simply to give the police officers a legal basis
to give a lawful order," Sarnoff said. "It doesn't have
to end up with a criminal penalty. It could end up with
a civil infraction."
Some fear the ordinance would criminalize homelessness
and make it more difficult for Miami's most destitute
population to find jobs and permanent housing. Their
advocates believe it also may violate a legal agreement
the city made with the ACLU in 1998 protecting homeless
individuals from being arrested for "life-sustaining
acts."
Ron Book, chairman of Miami-Dade County's Homeless
Trust, told the commission that he believes the proposed
law has a more sinister intention.
"Commissioner Sarnoff is disingenuous at best in his
halfhearted effort to try and help us with the homeless
movement," Book said. "I still find what he's doing to
criminalize tents just wrong."
City leaders have deferred a final vote on the
anti-camping ordinance until next month.
Photos/graphics; links; added or updated by the Observer | Photo: WLRN: Wilson Sayre
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