COLOMBIA, SC — In an effort to purge the city’s destitute from the view of the commercial center, Colombia has now adopted a controversial measure to give homeless people a choice: be corralled into a designated homeless shelter or else go to jail. The Columbia City Council unanimously approved an Emergency Homeless Response Plan, written with the goal of isolating homeless people from the downtown commercial district. The plan includes shuttling the individuals from a 24/7 emergency shelter to their external service providers using shuttle vans. The plan emphatically states, “NO FOOT TRAFFIC. PERIOD.” The city has a hotline number designated for local businesses to call and report the presence of homeless people. Then police will respond and offer them the choice of going to the tightly controlled, curfew-enforced shelter, or jail. Police have a variety of laws to use at their discretion that can easily be used against homeless people, including public nuisance laws, loitering, public intoxication, public urination, aggressive panhandling and trespassing. The plan makes it clear that homeless people are not allowed in sight of downtown shoppers. How can police identify a homeless person by looking at them? That’s a question that has many civil libertarians concerned. It would seem that the plan has discrimination built right into its foundation. READ MORE :: policestateusa/2013/homeless-people-in-colombia-given-the-choice-to-live-in-shelters-or-jail-cells/
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 14:44:40 +0000
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