Homelessness, why is it a crime

[Rita]

Hi everyone,
I have just watched a tv documentary on Slab city in California, and indirectly I discovered that in the US it is considered illegal to be homeless and you are chucked in jail if you found to be homeless……..why ?
Homelessness is not a crime, it’s the end result of so many things.
What is the crime based on !?
Who decided it was a crime !?
So when and if you see a homeless person, a person often in need, do you look upon them as a criminal !?
Must admit I don’t get it………….
Help me to understand ..
Is it the same in Canada , Australia , New Zealand ?
Rita

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Hi everyone,
I have just watched a tv documentary on Slab city in California, and indirectly I discovered that in the US it is considered illegal to be homeless and you are chucked in jail if you found to be homeless……..why ?
Homelessness is not a crime, it’s the end result of so many things.
What is the crime based on !?
Who decided it was a crime !?
So when and if you see a homeless person, a person often in need, do you look upon them as a criminal !?
Must admit I don’t get it………….
Help me to understand ..
Is it the same in Canada , Australia , New Zealand ?
Rita

Simply put: it is a crime because a town or city passed a law making it a crime. That is different than the argument of whether it should be a crime.

 

[Rita]

That’s the bit I don’t understand, why a town or city ( or country ) decides it is illegal. ……..
I just can’t fathom out what grounds they would have to consider it a crime.

Looking For info , it seems uncertain , and yet many of the people on this program talked about concealing there homelessness but when they were discovered they were incarcerated for being homeless.
So, perhaps members here from the States can relay whether they see homeless people on the streets or not.

 

[farouk]

Hi everyone,
I have just watched a tv documentary on Slab city in California, and indirectly I discovered that in the US it is considered illegal to be homeless and you are chucked in jail if you found to be homeless……..why ?
Homelessness is not a crime, it’s the end result of so many things.
What is the crime based on !?
Who decided it was a crime !?
So when and if you see a homeless person, a person often in need, do you look upon them as a criminal !?
Must admit I don’t get it………….
Help me to understand ..
Is it the same in Canada , Australia , New Zealand ?
Rita

An underlying aspect is the resentment of affluent neighbourhoods against immigrants or people of a much lower economic status.

The sub-text of this is the complex relationship between the United States and Latin America and its rhetorical part in election discourse.

 

[MatthewG]

That’s the bit I don’t understand, why a town or city ( or country ) decides it is illegal. ……..
I just can’t fathom out what grounds they would have to consider it a crime.

Looking For info , it seems uncertain , and yet many of the people on this program talked about concealing there homelessness but when they were discovered they were incarcerated for being homeless.
So, perhaps members here from the States can relay whether they see homeless people on the streets or not.

You either work, or you get out!

Government / State rules as law instated, can not do much against it, other than push through again for the Law to make it not illegal.

In California I believe there is a place so bad with Meth, that if you are found with meth on you, you get slap on the wrist and a ticket to go pay and you keep your meth.

Crazy but it simply us living in the Fallen World, Rita.

 

[Rita]

An underlying aspect is the resentment of affluent neighbourhoods against immigrants or people of a much lower economic status.

The sub-text of this is the complex relationship between the United States and Latin America and its rhetorical part in election discourse.

So, are you saying that it’s the affluent people who are voting to make it illegal, in other words it’s a race and class issue ?

 

[Rita]

Over here we use to have a law against suicide, but if you survived you got the death penalty !!!! ( how weird is that )

 

[MatthewG]

Over here we use to have a law against suicide, but if you survived you got the death penalty !!!! ( how weird is that )

Crazy! Thank you for bringing up the subject.

 

[farouk]

So, are you saying that it’s the affluent people who are voting to make it illegal, in other words it’s a race and class issue ?

@Rita There are those underlying factors, woven sometimes obscurely into the matter......

(I was just preparing another post which is related to what you asked...)

 

[Rita]

So, out of interest, over here local churches and charities support the homeless as much as they can - does that happen in the US

 

[MatthewG]

So, out of interest, over here local churches and charities support the homeless as much as they can - does that happen in the US

Hello Rita,
Yes sometimes, it just depends on the community of the believers. We have Salvation Army, there is a place not to far away that will give food out every Thursday night for those who are in need of food called the Well.

What about where you are from?

 

[Triumph1300]

The reason some municipalities declare homelessness a crime is probably because so many homeless people are getting involved into criminal activity. Our church works with homeless people to get them back on their feet. However its a difficult job, specially when they are hooked to drugs. Our church feeds the homeless, takes them to the doctor if required etc etc.

 

[farouk]

@Rita I just put on the other thread a related post which shows that for some US officials it seems they even think that they own the skin of those whom they decide to deport.

 

[Rita]

Thank you, many posts reassure me. The documentary gave the impression that it was purely being homeless that was a crime.
We have a mixture of issues with homelessness, and yes, some of them can be linked to criminal activity. Many of the local churches where I love support the homeless, there are many charities that will endeavour to provide for them in some way.
Rita

 

[farouk]

Thank you, many posts reassure me. The documentary gave the impression that it was purely being homeless that was a crime.
We have a mixture of issues with homelessness, and yes, some of them can be linked to criminal activity. Many of the local churches where I love support the homeless, there are many charities that will endeavour to provide for them in some way.
Rita

@Rita It's related to perceptions of socio-economic status.

 

[DuckieLady]

Hi everyone,
I have just watched a tv documentary on Slab city in California, and indirectly I discovered that in the US it is considered illegal to be homeless and you are chucked in jail if you found to be homeless……..why ?
Homelessness is not a crime, it’s the end result of so many things.
What is the crime based on !?
Who decided it was a crime !?
So when and if you see a homeless person, a person often in need, do you look upon them as a criminal !?
Must admit I don’t get it………….
Help me to understand ..
Is it the same in Canada , Australia , New Zealand ?
Rita

In my home state, there's a city where it is a crime to sit down in public in order to make it impossible for the homeless to rest/sleep anywhere.

It kind of ticked me off honestly, because what happens if an elderly person just needs to rest a minute? You just force them to keep moving?

Ridiculous.

My old church helped out the homeless. I actually got married (yeah, old life) in a church used to serve the homeless.

They fed people after every service and they could get coffee during. Then down the street they had a soup kitchen and across from that they had a free clothing store. People could donate what they could to pay for it, but they could get what they needed.

A lot of places a person can get vouchers for a motel during the winter and there are other shelters, but they are difficult to get into because sometimes they are so full.

And there was a church group where for a few hundred you could live by their rules and rent a room. Not my thing. Seemed really, really strict.

 

[Angelina]

Hi everyone,
I have just watched a tv documentary on Slab city in California, and indirectly I discovered that in the US it is considered illegal to be homeless and you are chucked in jail if you found to be homeless……..why ?
Homelessness is not a crime, it’s the end result of so many things.
What is the crime based on !?
Who decided it was a crime !?
So when and if you see a homeless person, a person often in need, do you look upon them as a criminal !?
Must admit I don’t get it………….
Help me to understand ..
Is it the same in Canada , Australia , New Zealand ?
Rita

No not the same here in NZ. I don't know why people can make being homeless a criminal offence. It's a tragedy...

 

[Rita]

In my home state, there's a city where it is a crime to sit down in public in order to make it impossible for the homeless to rest/sleep anywhere.

It kind of ticked me off honestly, because what happens if an elderly person just needs to rest a minute? You just force them to keep moving?

Ridiculous.

My old church helped out the homeless. I actually got married (yeah, old life) in a church used to serve the homeless.

They fed people after every service and they could get coffee during. Then down the street they had a soup kitchen and across from that they had a free clothing store. People could donate what they could to pay for it, but they could get what they needed.

A lot of places a person can get vouchers for a motel during the winter and there are other shelters, but they are difficult to get into because sometimes they are so full.

And there was a church group where for a few hundred you could live by their rules and rent a room. Not my thing. Seemed really, really strict.

It’s a crime to sit down in public - that is crazy !
We do have an issue with homeless being outside shops ect, but they are not moved on unless they are causing a problem. Yes, we have the same issue with hostels ect but in the winter months if the the temp goes below freezing public buildings are opened up for the homeless to stay at night.
Rita

 

[Desire Of All Nations]

Over here we use to have a law against suicide, but if you survived you got the death penalty !!!! ( how weird is that )

It's not really weird when you consider the fact that attempts to commit suicide technically makes a person guilty of attempting murder.

 

[Lifelong_sinner]

Hi everyone,
I have just watched a tv documentary on Slab city in California, and indirectly I discovered that in the US it is considered illegal to be homeless and you are chucked in jail if you found to be homeless……..why ?
Homelessness is not a crime, it’s the end result of so many things.
What is the crime based on !?
Who decided it was a crime !?
So when and if you see a homeless person, a person often in need, do you look upon them as a criminal !?
Must admit I don’t get it………….
Help me to understand ..
Is it the same in Canada , Australia , New Zealand ?
Rita

around here, you see homeless people everyday, standing with a cardboard sign at the corners near stoplights. Most of them are legit homeless, but some…. Well after they get their days worth of begging in, they go back to their car and drive to their houses.