Advocates: Cities pass laws that target homeless

Don Matyja, a homeless Army veteran, poses for a picture with his dog Tyson at Lions Park in Costa Mesa, Calif., Oct. 6, 2012. The posh California coastal town recently passed a law banning patrons from lounging on furniture in its public libraries, having poor personal hygiene or emitting an odor that bothers others. / AP Photo/Chris Carlson

COSTA MESA, Calif. Army veteran Don Matyja was getting by all right on the streets of this city tucked in Southern California suburbia until he got ticketed for smoking in the park. Matyja, who has been homeless since he was evicted nearly two years ago, had trouble paying the fine and getting to court — and now a $25 penalty has ballooned to $600.

The ticket is just one of myriad new challenges facing Matyja and others living on the streets in Orange County, where a number of cities have recently passed ordinances that ban everything from smoking in the park to sleeping in cars to leaning bikes against trees, in a region better known for its beaches than its 30,000 homeless people.

Cities have long struggled with how to deal with the homeless, but the new ordinances here echo what homeless advocates say is a rash of regulations nationwide as municipalities grapple with how to address those living on their streets within the constraints of ever-tightening budgets. The rules may go unnoticed by most, but the homeless say they are a thinly veiled attempt to push them out of one city and into another by criminalizing the daily activities they cannot avoid.

There's been a sharp uptick in the past year in the number of cities passing ordinances against doing things on public property such as sitting, lying down, sleeping, standing in a public street, loitering, public urination, jaywalking and panhandling, said Neil Donovan, the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

"It definitely is more pervasive and it is more adversarial. I think in the past we found examples of it but it's not simply just growing, but it's growing in its severity and in its targeted approach to America's un-housed," said Donovan, who compared it to a civil rights issue.

"There's the whole notion of driving while black. Well, this is sitting while homeless."

Denver earlier this year voted to make urban camping illegal despite protests from homeless activists. Philadelphia banned feedings in public parks in June but the ordinance was put on hold the following month after homeless groups sued the city. And there's a new curfew for pets that help their owners beg on the Las Vegas Strip.

Matyja, in Costa Mesa, has gotten multiple tickets for smoking in the park where he camps out since the law took effect earlier this year.

"When I was in the military, I'm golden. When I was working, I was golden. When I'm not working and I'm out here, I'm a piece of garbage as far as these people are concerned," said Matyja, 50, as he walked past a row of neatly manicured lawns on a sweltering day. "They figure if they don't see you, then the problem don't exist and then they can say, `We don't have a homeless problem."'

The Newport Beach Public Library, nestled in a coastal city better known for its surfing and miles of wide beaches, recently updated a policy that says staff can evict someone for having poor hygiene or a strong aroma. The policy also bans lounging on library furniture and creates strict limits about parking shopping carts, bikes and "other wheeled conveyances" outside the premises.

• no previous page
• next

1/3

[gwrigley]

The thing that cracks me up the most is all of the people who scream that we are a Christian nation. We should go back to prayer in he schools, teach creationism, etc, etc. It is these very same people who detest the homeless and who revere the tea party.

I studied the Bible for many years. I am not a Christian in the traditional sense, but I know what the Bible claims that Jesus taught, and it nothing like what you hear from the right wing Bible Thumpers.

Jesus was a liberal's liberal. He hung out with the very people Bible Thumpers despise. He cared for the poor, healed the sick, and comforted the despised. These so called Christians are the very people he talked about when he said, paraphrasing, you will come to me saying I preached in your name and cast out demons, but I will say get away from for I never knew you, for your heart was far from me.

How any country cares for its poorest citizens is a sign of its greatness. America is pretty much at the bottom of the barrel. Even vets who were sent to war get nothing when they are down and out, how appreciative.

[Lerianis4]

PLEASELETITBESO replies: linkiconreporticonemailiconYou have the right to, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, no place in our Constitution does it state that you have the right to shelter.
_____________________

Without shelter you cannot have Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness in the real world. So yes, you abject imbecile, it IS a right. So is basic food and sanitation.

[pleaseletitbeso]

Yer so cute, bless yer heart.

[audemus]

It's always been the attitude and "solution" of the unfeeling and unseeing to simply make a problem or an issue that doesn't affect them directly, invisible....then it no longer exists. How one's empathy and conscience cannot be stirred by the sight of a homeless man and his dog living on the streets, or a woman with no shelter or security from the harsh realities of that environment, or a cast-away child with no place to go or a welcome when they get there, is beyond me. And just like the authorities who make up laws and ordinances to make a living hell even more hellish, we seek to push this reality of homelessness away, under the rug, make it someone elses problem....and we ignore what our heart is trying desperately to tell us.

In this society, it seems people are more concerned about their manicured lawns and latest technological gadgets, than they are about their fellow human-beings. I realize that a great many of these suffering people should be hospitalized for mental health issues (good luck with that one), but there are others who find themselves in this nightmarish environment because they simply fell thru the so-called "safety-net", and in a callous and indifferent society, they find it all but impossible to rise above their circumstances without the help of others.

Two things come to mind....the verses in the Bible (Book of Matthew, chap. 25, verses 42 thru 45), that talk about being hungry and thirsty and sick and a stranger and no one helping...the one especially about how if you've treated anyone like this, you've treated me like this....the "Me" in this case , is the man the entire Christian religion is based upon (allegedly). The other is a quote I believe from Ghandi. "A nations' greatness is measured by how it treats it's weakest members."

Don't pass them by, don't look away, don't pretend you can't hear them on the streets begging for life. Make at least a little bit of difference for the forgotten today. Listen to your heart....

[makemyday2da]

Audemus: I disagree with your don't pass them by, look away, etc. As a single woman in a town with a growing problem of homelessness, the fact many of them ARE mentally challenged scares the daylights out of me. I don't own a car (can't afford one) so I have to walk almost everywhere. Our local library finally had to ban loitering near the entrance since this was their favorite place to hang out and wait for a hand out. People were afraid to take their children past them - mostly because every other word they said was the f-bomb - and other offensive language.

It's a sad situation - especially when you see a veteran down and out. This is the thanks they get for serving and, let me tell you, this is going to get a LOT worse since the govt./military discharges these men and women EVERY day with dishonorable discharges due to mental illness that developed AS A RESULT OF DEPLOYMENT. Often, they are unable to cope with the nightmares of war and turn to drugs, alcohol, and other illegal activities to suppress the haunting memories - while they're still in active service. They get caught and kicked out with NO benefits - even though the problem began with their service. It's disgusting but NO ONE wants to hear the truth about how this is happening daily.

In my community (and I hate to put a political statement to this) is strongly Democratic although the rest of the state is GOP, and due to the large amount of community services offered here, it draws the homeless here like flies on, well, you get the idea! Other communities throughout the state encourage their homeless to come here since we offer so many "free" services.

Getting back to my original statement about personal safety, there's a railroad underpass near my home many people walk past daily. Homeless often live underneath and often the strong scent of urine is overpowering as you walk by. Despite all the opportunities available to them for shelter, more often than not, they WON'T go there because alcohol is NOT allowed. They choose booze over a bed! Sorry, but I can't bring myself to feel "sorry" when they make such a choice! But, I do wish there was help available for the mentally ill unable to care for themselves - and living on the streets.

[pleaseletitbeso]

Audemus,

You know nothing about me or my interactions within this society, that gives you no right to judge me.

Every day I walk out my door I am giving to many that are less fortunate than myself.

You must first want to help yourself before most are willing to invest time and effort, this is rightly so as there are many more that simply don't want help.

This is the reality beyond most that live within a protected bubble.

Have a nice day.

[mollydtt]

Sadly, many homeless people have mental problems, too, which need attention.
It isn't just a matter of coexisting with homeless downtown, --some can be rather aggressive and dangerous.
It keeps people from spending time and money downtown.
Many homeless refuse shelters anyway. They say there are too many rules.
That said, I still think we need to take a long hard look at how best to help those that need and want help getting back on their feet.

[Lerianis4]

I've never seen an 'aggressive and dangerous' homeless person unless someone tries to pick a fight with the homeless people in question.

[dngrsdan]

I have over 10 years experience working with the homeless population. While most homeless people are not a threat, there is a potential for dangerous situations. Further, if I didn't have that experience and familiarity, I may also feel vulnerable or threatened. Of course, there are potentially dangerous people in any demographic. It is prudent to exercise caution when you are dealing with strangers in any setting, especially those with mental health, and substance abuse issues.

Homelessness, like anything else is a cause and effect situation. Most homelessness is caused by mental health or substance abuse issues. A small percentage is caused strictly by socio-economic struggles. Understanding the causes of homelessness is the beginning to solving the problem.

By offering to help people address the issues that caused them to be homeless and offering them services in a safe, structured environment is a solid start. This is why many communities have moved away from "flop-house" style shelters.

One of the circumstances that arises though, is that you can't do both in the same program. If you are providing services and a safe environment, you need to adhere to strict rules and policies to insure that. For example you can't have someone in a bed, trying to stay sober, perhaps for the first time in their life, 2 feet away from someone that's drunk and reeking of booze. If you provide services to families and/or children, you can't safely provide services to people who are sex offenders or have extensive histories of violence.

So, while there are homeless people who elect to stay on the street, because of the rules; there are homeless shelters that don't accept people who won't abide by the rules that allow their program to help those that want it.

[lillyhorton]

If I were homeless I know of restrooms I could wash up, urinate and ********** in private. What is the homeless excuse?

[dngrsdan]

That's great for you. Not every community has facilities for the general public. Many businesses reserve use of their facilities for people who are patronizing their establishment. Or, at least appear as though they can afford to do so. Now imagine that you're not allowed to use those restrooms ... It's not an excuse, it's prejudice.

[Lerianis4]

Lilly, my hometown didn't until very recently have something like that. It was only after an outcry from the families of the homeless that our town built 4 public showers that the homeless could use.

Even then, the public showers are VERY spaced apart and are unheated (the buildings, not the water) so in the winter, they are not a legitimate choice for almost all people.

[Chengisk]

Instead of making shelter a right, governments are trying to make shelterless a crime.

[pleaseletitbeso]

You have the right to, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, no place in our Constitution does it state that you have the right to shelter.

[audemus]

pleaseletitbeso.....you left out food and health care....if you ever need to refresh your sociopathic talking points, just review Romney's 47 percent speech...that'll fix you right up.