California City Bans Homeless From Sleeping Outside: If They Leave, ‘Then That’s Their Choice’

[Skidmore]

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/11/10/3590672/manteca-homeless/

Last week, the city council of Manteca, CA unanimously passed two ordinances aimed at clearing out the homeless population.

One will ban people from sleeping or setting up encampments on any public or private property as of December 4, although the homeless won’t be jailed or fined. It will, however, allow the police to tear down any homeless sleeping areas as soon as they appear without having to be invited by the property owner, as was the case previously.

Explaining why the ordinance is necessary, Police Chief Nick Obligacion said, “The goal is actually to correct the wrong. So, if the correction is them leaving Manteca, then that’s their choice.” He also opposes any sort of shelter for the homeless.

The other ordinance bans public urination and defecation, but also comes after the city temporarily closed public restrooms in a park, a location often used by the homeless to relieve themselves in private.

more..

[shenmue]

1. :(

[Downwinder]

2. Sundown town?

[CurtEastPoint]

3. Interesting that the city website is just now down/overloaded. I hope people bombard them.

[KingCharlemagne]

9. Still down 30 minutes later. I hope Anonymous is doing his or her magic

and DDOS'ing them.

[Orrex]

4. These lazy homeless people should simply have more money.

What kind of deadbeats can achieve financial security in this booming economy?

[CurtEastPoint]

5. I found a pro-vaping (e-cig) site that indicates this town is trying to zone them out of business.

What a charming bunch of neanderthals.

http://thevapingmilitia.org/local-alert-manteca-ca/

In that link are the emails of the mayor and council, should you care to tell them what you think of their nastiness and hatred of the homeless:

Willie W. Weatherford – Mayor – Email: [e-mail]

Stephen “Steve” DeBrum – Mayor Pro-Tempore – Email: [e-mail]

John W. Harris – Councilman – Email: [e-mail]

Vincent “Vince” Hernandez II – Councilman – Email: [e-mail]

Debby Moorhead – Councilwoman – Email: [e-mail]

John W. Harris – Councilman

[lpbk2713]

6. It's called Hobson's choice.

It's not much of a choice when you have no other alternative.

The Chamber of Commerce is alive and well obviously.

[KingCharlemagne]

7. One hopes the Manteca homeless will troop en masse to Chief Obligacion's home and

take a giant collective dump on his front yard. That would also 'correct the wrong.'

[jwirr]

8. You know our policy from the time I first voted has been to take care of people by fixing the issue

that caused their problems. Enter raygun and that ended. Government was the problem so it could not work to fix anything and anyhow he and his followers never did recognize the causes of the problems - easier to blame it on the person.