Columbia, South Carolina Criminalizes Homelessness In Unanimous Vote

[catbrooks]

City council members in Columbia, S.C., recently voted unanimously to criminalize homelessness.

Concerned that Columbia has become a “magnet for homeless people,” and that businesses and the area’s safety are suffering as a result, council members agreed on Aug. 14 to give people on the streets the option to either relocate, or get arrested,

Comments

[the_physicist]

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!

[kitanabychoice]

I'd read the ThinkProgress article when it came out the other day and everything about this "emergency" plan is nauseating.

“Unfortunately it seems the people who make their living off of caring for the homeless are the ones making all the noise at these meetings. They've had 20 years to fix the problem and it has only gotten worse thus ensuring their paychecks stay safe."

Please, tell me more about how advocates for the homeless are rolling the dough.

[the_physicist]

It's why people should listen to those who are affected, in this case the homeless, not to people who just decided they can speak for them.

[kitanabychoice]

Yeah, but that would be too much like right.

[the_physicist]

I can't find stats online for just Columbia, but for South Carolina in general 17% of the homeless are children. But the most important thing to do is to just put them out of sight somewhere, keep an eye on them and treat them like prisoners. Google also reveals that if they go to these shelters they are not eligible for any foodstamps or disability checks or anything like that.

[eveofrevolution]

[fenris_lorsrai]

“After a North Carolina legislative session like this, I think the big take-away here might be: Your move, South Carolina. You thought you had craziest Carolina all sewn up with your runaway governors and something about fucking horses] but you may be about to lose the war of northern regression.”

DAMNIT DAILY SHOW. why you gotta be so right about them having some kind of contest about which state is more messed up?

[wrestlingdog]

Exactly.

[nicosian]

I see several flaws in their plans:

240 beds for 1,200 ish homeless.
1.5 million cost, half a mil budgeted.
Land of the FREEEEEE locking up people in facilities without charges or trial, simply for being homeless. Creeepeeeee.

Some states scare me with how they view living human beings not on the old white rich dude privilege boat.

[tifa]

Exactly what I was thinking; this shit will fail really fast and I feel like someone's gonna get hurt. Unfortunately, it won't be the people who put them there :/