The Mayor of Los Angeles signed an ordinance to protect public spaces. Only: The more than 41,000 homeless people are no longer even allowed to sit in many areas of the city.
In Los Angeles, California, homeless people and their camps are to be banned from the city as far as possible. The city’s Democratic Mayor Eric Garcetti paved the way for an ordinance that will make homeless people virtually impossible to exist in most public areas. But what exactly is the law about?
Garcetti signed the decision to revise the city’s anti-camping law last Thursday. The ordinance is to come into force 30 days after being signed and serve the extended protection of the public and various areas of community life. In practice, however, it is likely to be a major problem, especially for people without a permanent residence.
Because in the strict regulation it is said that not only camping, but also sitting, lying, sleeping and storing personal belongings are prohibited in parts of the city. In short: anything that could hinder the public in any way. The resolution defines in detail what this public includes.
Los Angeles: sidewalks and parks are taboo
The list of prohibited areas includes the area around hydrants, entrances and exits, loading and unloading areas and those that are marked for accessibility for people with disabilities. The new ordinance also affects all areas in the vicinity of streets and cycle paths – including sidewalks and underpasses – and “sensitive” public facilities: such as schools, state libraries and even parks. Even in the vicinity of some homeless facilities, people are not allowed to be in an obstructive manner .
A team of researchers from two faculties at the University of Los Angeles shows how much area of the city the regulation actually covers. All areas in which the homeless are no longer allowed to stay are marked there – including the surrounding areas. Due to missing or ambiguous data, it can even be assumed that there is less space available than expected, writes the research team in an article on the map.
“With the rule presented, people would have to be provided with more accommodation,” the authors concluded. However, the data from the city authorities showed that there are still not enough accommodation options for the more than 41,200 homeless people (as of 2020) in Los Angeles admit: A bed would only be available for about every third homeless person.
Ordinance from Los Angeles comes in the middle of the corona pandemic
The Democratic politician Mike Bonin also criticizes the tightening of the law. He is one of two members of the Los Angeles City Council who voted against the ordinance. People would be told where they are not allowed to sleep, according to Bonin, but not where they can sleep. According to his own statements, Bonin himself was once homeless: “I can’t tell you how demotivating and degrading it is when you don’t know where to sleep,” said the city council politician.
The decision on the restrictive regulation comes at a particularly sensitive time for many citizens. A national eviction ban by the US government, which was supposed to save people in the corona pandemic from homelessness, ended on Saturday. Although the ban was temporarily extended to October 3 for individual regions, many Americans are now threatened with life on the streets.
If Garcetti’s new ordinance comes into force, in Los Angeles at least there are not only precarious living conditions but also sanctions: Violations of the ordinance are punishable by fines and even imprisonment. The city council plans to provide the closed areas with signs in the future and to employ more social workers, it says.
The problem with homelessness in the city will not be solved by it – it will be suppressed in the truest sense of the word.
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