New Texas law on camping

[MikenDebbie]

The Texas ban on camping is not going to affect staying at Walmart or Cracker Barrel overnight. I have been living here since 1984. In June 2019, when the City Council lifted the "camping ban" laws that had been put in place in the 90's - the problem blew up. I have never heard an explanation of what the Council thought would happen or why they felt this had to happen. About a year ago a group of citizens got a petition going to have a public referendum to repeal the camping ban. It passed with a good majority in May 2021. Council and staff have until August 2021 to come up with plan for where to put the homeless folks. Their first solution was to put them in most of the public parks. The Governor and the legislature watched all of this happen and stepped in with laws to stop Austin (and other TX cities I suppose) from continuing to make the problem worse. Here is a link to an article that goes thru the history of the problem in Austin...
https://www.texasobserver.org/austin...camping-texas/

When the State Legislature was debating the new camping ban law over the past few months - I heard a few discussions concerned about how it would affect RVers. Could it possibly affect Walmart overnight stops? Well - maybe?...but it is more likely to snow in July in Austin...highly unlikely. The law is targeted to homeless camping. There will certainly be some unintended consequences come out of this mess. The suburbs here have started passing their own camping bans to allow them to deal with what will certainly come their way when Austin attempts to shut it down and clean it up (I am not holding my breath though). I appreciate the efforts put forth by the Legislature.

If the pic below was one of those google captcha things where you click on the pics that show a taxi cab (for example) - click on the pics below that the new Texas camping ban will target...

[Boogie_]

Thanks Mike for bringing some common sense to this thread.

[charliez]

It's an attempt to deal with herds of homeless people in the bigger cities,that setup where they're not wanted.



and this too....




they’d have to enforce it consistently




I'm not sure in the history of mankind, this has ever happened.

[RevnRef]

Originally Posted by hamm2018

Is this the proposed law you are referring to?
https://drivinvibin.com/2021/04/15/p...with%20shelter.

Yes. This is the bill. Texas Senate Bill 987 proposes a complete statewide prohibition to camping in public spaces.

[SeeTheUSA]

Originally Posted by hamm2018

Is this the proposed law you are referring to?
https://drivinvibin.com/2021/04/15/p...with%20shelter.

There’s enough of a political slant on the cited article that I had to shut off my refrigerator …. too much off angle!

C’mon, it’s not run-of-the-mill rv’ing folks that’s the problem the bill is trying to resolve.

[hohenwald48]

I've never really understood why legislators think if they make something against the law it will solve the problem. I can see them now, lining up all the homeless folks and trying to make them pay a $500 fine.

Sometimes I think this country has simply gone completely and hopelessly off the rails.

[MikenDebbie]

The State is not trying to criminalize being homeless - they are trying to force City of Austin leaders to come up with comprehensive living and treatment solutions better than free-for-all/drug infested tent cities under all the interstate bridges, tent cities in the parks, tent cities in curb islands on boulevards, tent cities on the entry steps to City Hall (who have armed themselves and refuse to leave). I apologize for venting about local problems.

[ArtJoyce]

Sound like TX is becoming RV unfriendly. We will go around TX on our southwest trips. We get it, are not welcome.

[carybosse]

Originally Posted by ArtJoyce

Sound like TX is becoming RV unfriendly. We will go around TX on our southwest trips. We get it, are not welcome.

Art & Joyce,

On the contrary, Texas is just trying to find a solution to an exploding homeless population, something that is hitting many places with temperate climates.

I suspect when people who have not spent time trying to help homeless people on the street (or in mental health hospitals, where I typically visit with them), the solution they come up with is not functional in the real world.

That said, many of the homeless are sleeping in tents worth hundreds of dollars, swinging in fine hammocks, and having no problem figuring out how to collect their disability checks and purchase drugs to shoot up with the free needles handed out to prevent the spread of disease. This is the population the Legislature is trying to address.

[GCSuper]

Originally Posted by ArtJoyce

Sound like TX is becoming RV unfriendly. We will go around TX on our southwest trips. We get it, are not welcome.

If that's what you got from that article, then Texas won't miss you

[Boogie_]

Originally Posted by GCSuper

If that's what you got from that article, then Texas won't miss you

Ditto.

[CRV2]

Originally Posted by GCSuper

If that's what you got from that article, then Texas won't miss you

Not too mention that if someone is driving across the southern states east to west (or west to east), it is only about 900 miles to cross Texas. Certainly one could "easily" go around and if one takes the roads lesser traveled then going around is only about ~1600 miles and quite a bit more miles than that if one wants to stay on the interstates.

[TexasJeff]

TX is RV friendly. This mess was started in Austin (and other big-cities) and it was a political nightmare. Not to mention ugly, dangerous and disturbing. I went to a local radiologist, had to get past armed security and when I asked what was with the man with the gun, they told me that the homeless were invading the facilities, using the bathrooms to bathe and when they were told to stop, they threatened to burn the building down.

RV'ers can go to any welcoming Wal-Mart or Crackerbarrel or any other place that gives permission. It's their private property and the law will not mess with you there. Now, if you want to pull your Class-C up under a freeway overpass and on the sidewalk, you're going to have a different story.

[SKP Kirk]

Originally Posted by ArtJoyce

Sound like TX is becoming RV unfriendly. We will go around TX on our southwest trips. We get it, are not welcome.

With an attitude like yours, you may be right. Texans have always welcomed visitors who are courteous and who do not try to change the place. Most of them don't criticize your home state and only ask that you do the same. But a lot of us do not like people with a big chip on the shoulder so either take it off, or don't come.