Tell Honolulu City Council: Stop Criminalizing the Homeless!

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-09-16 08:21:00 UTC
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Honolulu holds the #8 spot the list of Top 10 Meanest Cities towards the homeless. But it seems this dubious honor has gone unnoticed by city counselors. Yesterday, a bill was introduced that would prevent the homeless from sitting or lying down on Oahu sidewalks. Take action today to tell the city leadership that criminalizing is cruel, unproductive, and inhumane.

Honolulu City Councilors seem to believe that keeping homeless individuals out of sight is the best anecdote for promoting tourism, a key industry in the state. Unfortunately, this priority has resulted in short-sighted laws and ordinances that make life for Honolulu's homeless extremely difficult, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless' 2009 report, Homes Not Handcuffs.

Since 2006, the City has slowly been removing benches from parks. Thousands of dollars have been spent retrofitting bus stops to discourage sleeping, removing benches and installing concrete stools. In addition to banning camping in several coastal parks, the city council also passed a broad camping ban that makes it easier to remove homeless campers from public parks.

The legislation yesterday was introduced by Councilman Charles K. Djou. His bill comes on the heels of another outrageous piece of legislation, dubbed the "Body Odor Bill" -- a measure that would have prevented those with foul body odor from riding public transportation. This legislation was quickly (and appropriately) withdrawn.

It's time to tell Honolulu leaders: Stop using short-sighted tactics to hide the homeless and get serious about implementing productive, long-term strategies that have been effective in other communities, such as a Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness for Honolulu.

Take action now to tell City Councilman Charles Djou to withdraw his cruel bill and get serious about helping people without a home.

Image from the Star Bulletin.

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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