In preparation for the Democratic National Convention, the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, is preparing ordinances for the event. One in particular, the Camping Ordinance, was voted on by Charlotte City Council members earlier this week. The ordinance will go into effect on January 30th.
The Charlotte City Attorney defines camping as, "the use of city property for living accommodation purposes such as sleeping, or making preparations to sleep (including the laying down of bedding for the purpose of sleeping), or storing personal belongings, or placing any tents or a temporary shelter on city property for living accommodation purposes."
Undoubtedly, the ordinance was proposed as a reaction to Occupy Charlotte, however, many fail to realize that as written, the ordinance will have unintended consequences on the homeless population. The homeless count in Charlotte is currently around 3600 individuals. On any given night, approximately 500 homeless individuals sleep outdoors due to overcrowded shelters. In addition, many rest on city sidewalks and benches as they have no where else to go.
However, the camping ordinance will clearly impede their ability to rest in public spaces, which will eventually push them away from the resources that they so desperately need. The camping ordinance is unconstitutionally vague, and it also infringes on their eighth amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. In fact, city ordinances frequently serve as prominent tools towards criminalizing homelessness.
In addition, the camping ordinance also goes against the ninth and thirteenth articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document signed by the United States. Arresting a homeless individual for occupying a city sidewalk or park bench is an arbitrary arrest, and placing restrictions on where they can and cannot be violates their right to freedom of movement.
Unfortunately, there are no International Courts to enforce International Laws. Inevitably, the lack of International Courts allows for cities, states, and countries to enact laws that go against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with little or no consequence.
It's not illegal to be poor, and the city of Charlotte needs to come to terms with the fact that poverty and homelessness are both urban issues. Placing restrictions on the homeless community will only exacerbate the problem. And, until the city addresses the root causes of homelessness, any effort to hide or punish the homeless will come at a significant cost to tax payers. Punishing the homeless is more costly then rectifying their living condition.
Nichole Jaworski - Nichole is an extremely versatile writer and editor. She writes about Public Policy, Social Issues, Arts and Entertainment, and ...
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