Homeless ordinance violates basic human rights

It seems the Fresno City Council majority who voted for the homeless ordinance forgot what happened when it tried to take away homeless people’s personal property. It was successfully sued. Now it seeks to punish the homeless for having no place to sleep, an essential human function, by prosecuting anyone who sleeps on public property.

Laws already prohibit trespass to private property, making that aspect of the ordinance redundant. Our laws protect the lives and liberties of all, including the homeless. It is no answer to the invasion of these liberties to say that after we arrest and convict you for sleeping on public property, we will erase your conviction if you do what we tell you to do, such as cooperating with social service personnel.

Instead of providing social services after they are prosecuted, why not spend that money providing that level of service now? I do not have the answer to this complex social issue, but it surely does not include passing an ordinance that violates basic human rights.

This story was originally published August 22, 2017 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Homeless ordinance violates basic human rights."