Homelessness is a complex, daunting problem, and cities all over America seem determined to resolve it with a simple strategy: abusing homeless people until they go away.
Local governments have come up with a myriad of Constitution-trampling ways to clear out their homeless populations, from sit/lie bans that can land people in jail for sitting down in public, to anti-panhandling measures that empower police to bust people for speaking or holding a sign while being poor. Cops also routinely use anti-loitering and jaywalking laws to hassle the homeless.
The arguments in favor of criminalization tend to go something like this: "We don't want to treat the homeless like subhumans with no rights but an anonymous tourist once complained about them and no tourists will come to our city again!" Or, local merchants have had enough, or some nice lady and her baby were subjected to the horror of having a poor person say a bad word while asking for change. (
alternet)
