Tennessean.com 7/22/07
In five weeks, Central Precinct officers have made 51 arrests, issued 31 citations and identified 76 Metro ordinance violations. In the West Precinct, which covers Broadway and West End west of Interstate 40, primarily in the Vanderbilt/Centennial Park area, there have been 49 arrests, two citations and three Metro ordinance violations reported.I'm not quite sure where I heard it originally but someone once said something to the effect of the only reason that many of these behaviors are illegal is because the individuals engaging in them don't have four walls around their home. Public intoxication is a perfect example. I can drink as much as I want at home but until I walk out the door the behavior is perfectly legal. For individuals experiencing homelessness the park bench, cardboard box, or alleyway where they sleep is their home for all intensive purposes but they can be punished for just having an open container. They have no bathroom so they are forced to urinate in public. The bench is their bed yet they can be ticketed for lying there, and some cities us dividers so lying down isn't even possible.
Even if the crackdown does reduce the visible signs of homelessness it will not increase housing or create a livable wage. Cities that institute initiatives like this need to think long and hard about what their long-term goals are and how they can truly achieve them.
Edit: Here's an article about a similar initiative that isn't working:
Homeless Plan Needs Reality Check
ajc.com 7/23/07
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