Brandau tramples rights of the homeless to pursue happiness

Smelly. Dirty. Gross.

These are all things that come to mind when passing by a homeless person on the streets. The homeless are no strangers to fear and disgust based off first impressions. However, it seems that we have forgotten that a person is a person no matter how economically challenged.

When the Fresno City Council passed the Unhealthy and Hazardous Camping Act, they were thinking solely about the outward appearance of Fresno. They neglected to look at all the people of Fresno. Try as one might to forget them as they drive by them in their cars, homeless people are people too. They are our fellow citizens of Fresno.

We cannot forget that, while these people are homeless, they are human beings just like us who deserve the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Councilman Steve Brandau, the harbinger of the act, stated, “We want to force some of the more difficult folks into facing the fact that they need help.”

It’s clear that we believe that they are undeserving of the right to the pursuit of happiness. People of Fresno, we need to remember that a person is a person no matter how economically challenged they are.

This story was originally published December 17, 2017 at 5:28 AM with the headline "Brandau tramples rights of the homeless to pursue happiness."