Miami Considers Jailing Homeless People For Eating, Sleeping In Public

[babylonsister]

And the hits from FL keep on coming...


http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/07/16/2307891/miami-criminalize-homelessness/

Miami Considers Jailing Homeless People For Eating, Sleeping In Public

By Scott Keyes on Jul 16, 2013 at 3:45 pm

(Credit: Shutterstock)

Being poor could soon be a crime in the city of Miami.


As though life weren’t already difficult enough for people who can’t afford regular housing, they could soon find themselves thrown in jail and their possessions confiscated if they’re caught engaging in certain everyday activities in public.

Before the late 1990s, Miami police frequently arrested homeless people for such “crimes” as sleeping on park benches, eating on sidewalks, or congregating in public places.

But in 1998, the city of Miami came to a landmark agreement, known as Pottinger v. City of Miami, whereby police officers were instructed not to arrest homeless people they caught committing minor “quality of life” offenses, but instead offer them a bed in a nearby homeless shelter. This new emphasis on providing homeless people with housing has been remarkably successful. In the 15 years since Pottinger, the number of people living on the streets has dropped from approximately 6,000 to 351, largely due to more shelters and support.

Despite the program’s success, one Miami City Commissioner wants to back out of the deal and resume arresting homeless people for living on the streets.

Marc Sarnoff wants the city to renege on its 1998 agreement and resume arresting homeless people. Specifically, Sarnoff and his allies on the City Commission have hired a law firm to try to modify the agreement so police can arrest anyone who blocks a sidewalk, cooks a meal in a public area using a fire, litters, urinates or defecates in public, or engages in lewd conduct, rather than offering those folks a bed to sleep.

Sarnoff argues that homeless people in the downtown business district are a “chronic problem.” Indeed, as the Miami Herald points out, “Most local shelters are at capacity, meaning police can do little to punish the homeless who urinate in the street or light cooking fires in public parks.” Instead of vying for more funding to support the hundreds of homeless people who reside in Miami, Sarnoff’s solution is to jail them for living on the streets.

To learn more about the criminalization of homelessness, read the 2009 report “Homes Not Handcuffs” by The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and The National Coalition for the Homeless.

[Ed Suspicious]

1. The policy that offers a modicum of kindness shows a 17 fold decrease in homelessness and they want

to go back to their ideologically pure position of dehumanization and incarceration. Brav-fucking-o Florida. You truly are the worst state in the nation.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Not only unspeakably evil, but inexpressibly moronic.

At least the poor bastards will have a roof over their heads & food that didn't come out of a dumpster, but there are so many more humane alternatives. First, the cost of a night in jail is nothing to sneeze at--maybe $50 when you figure in the staff cost & amortize the bricks & mortar; second, is their jail big enough to hold all the new potential residents? If not, do they want to pay 10 mil or so for an expanded facility? Or are they just gonna take these wretches out & gas them like so many unwanted puppies or something when the jail gets too full?

It is amazing how, in some people, pure meanness can overcome practicality, common sense, and human decency.

[babylonsister]

3. Your last sentence speaks volumes; makes me so sad. nt

[NightWatcher]

4. It runs between $30-50K a year to keep someone in jail/prison

Depending on location, court and admin costs, and security or special needs, it costs on average between $30k-$50k or more in some outlying cases to house a person in jail or prison per year.

Here's a crazy idea, spend $10k on average per person in need and keep them out of prison, off the street, and out of trouble.

[Safetykitten]

5. We need people down there to get them to vote Democratic, so they will be winners.

[stranger81]

14. How do they even register to vote without proof of residency?

As far as I can tell, the homeless population is completely disenfranchised.

[Katashi_itto]

6. I am never setting foot in Florida again.

[niyad]

7. so let me understand this--anybody who goes to a fast food joint and gets a burger and fries

and takes it outside to eat can be arrested? or is it just certain people? don't they have street vendors in miami?

[Heywood J]

8. Seconded.

Does that mean anyone napping on the train or bus going home from work will be arrested?

[dembotoz]

9. in wisconsin -tailgate meals before a packer or brewer game is a tradition--lots of grills

lets demand that under equal enforcement, all dolphin or marlins fans(both of them from what I understand) be arrested for cooking in public before a game.

Raid all the picnic areas and campgrounds
raid all the outdoor festivals

if they want to enforce their fucking law make them enforce it

[MindPilot]

10. Authoritatrianism: Solving all problems with more laws.

In Authoritaria, we can fix any issue, solve any problem by simply making it illegal.

Homeless=inmate

poor=inmate

non-white=inmate

unemployed=inmate

activist=inmate

mentally ill=inmate

addicted=inmate

whistle-blower=inmate

[Victor_c3]

11. I hate the way that homeless people are ignored and treated by society

People keep walking and pretend that they aren't there or that the problem doesn't exist.

Homeless people are people too. I've gotten to get to know several homeless people and I have my "regulars" that I help out and give some money to every once in a while. I show them pictures of my kids, talk about family, the news, and everything else. I'm getting ready to move at the end of the month and I'm genuinely saddened that I'm probably not going to see much of these guys anymore as my commute won't bring me by the gas station that I frequent anymore.

People that are down and out need to be shown compassion, not your boot on their throat.

[indepat]

12. FL criminalizing eating and sleeping while enacting a law making it impossible to convict

a seemingly cold-blooded child killer of a crime. I'd say Jesus Christ were it not blasphemous.

[Brigid]

13. Tell me again why I should set foot in FL ever again.

I keep forgetting.

[Aristus]

15. Goddamn. Miami is a festering shithole.

Really, Miami? That's how you treat the least among you?

What comes around goes around, you feckless assholes!

I'm glad my homeless patients are a continent away from your worthless piece of swampy, disease-ridden real estate.

They have it bad enough around here, God knows, without having to be imprisoned for eating or sleeping in public...

[woo me with science]

16. kick