New Texas law on camping

[MikenDebbie]

DW and I have seen the same guys and girls at the same intersections panhandling for years. We have names for them...The Captain, The Wooly Bear, Shaky Dude. I could point to the ones that need to be in a group home due to mental illness...they break my heart. I could probably point to the ones who have burned up thier brain cells with drugs or booze. It is a sad hard life. I dont think the vast majority of them can be helped. There are places in Austin where the ones that want out can go and start to heal. The others dont want to change thier situation.

In my opinion In June 2019 the City of Austin simply opened the door for more to come and exist in a horrible state. The welcome sign burns brightly. A few years ago when LA Skid Row grew to 50,000 residents - it was covered by the media. I remember stories about how the high price of housing in CA drove folks to live on the streets in RVs. Austin has not reached that state of decay yet. Therefore i cant imagine the legislature would target RVs in this bill. Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio are not littered with old grubby RVs parked on the street day after day - an apparent homeless abode. If i am wrong - someone will correct me. From time to time DW and I see an RV in the Walmart lot we term “Muppet Bus” (like the tour bus used by Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem)...but they dont linger - they are gone in a day or two.

My point is that RVs are not a problem in Texas. I dont believe the Legislature would target a problem that does not exist. The problem is misguided city governments. Those guys are the targets - not an RV parked in a parking lot for one night.

[Bobby F]

Originally Posted by atreis

Wow. Just wow.

1. Texas bill is outlined.
2. "I have an RV. Texas must hate me and want me to go away! So I shall!"
3. "No, that's not what the bill is attempting to address."
4. "Well, I'm never going there again!"
5. "Fine. Stay away."
6. "See, Texas hates me!"

I didn't see anyone being attacked for political beliefs. Attitude, maybe.


(P.S. Can't believe I missed the Dickens influence. Nicely done.)

[Hurricane-TX]

Originally Posted by atreis

Thank you for the serious response rather than just telling me to stay away from Texas.

While I agree that they should be required to be given treatment for addiction and mental health issues (often those go hand-in-hand), I don't agree with it being in prison. There's no need to expose them to the harder criminal elements in society, and their conditions are likely better served anyway in specialized facilities. Yes, that costs money. If, from a legal perspective, getting them that treatment requires criminalization of their behavior then so be it. My beef is with suggesting that prison, specifically, is the best way to help them. But then, I think some aren't actually looking to help them, they just want them out of sight. I'd rather they be helped, preferably for the long term, not just dry enough to get out and go right back to the same behavior.

In my area there are plenty of services for the folks that want them. The county pays rent, utilities, food. The feds provide SNAP, cells phones and more. There are plenty of people that live on the dole and maintain a residence. Today's homeless are not interested in that. Those without mental health issues and not addicted to drugs and alcohol like the freedom. They don't want help. To me, those folks should hit the bricks and move on down the line. If they don't or wont, lock 'em up. The others with issues need the help that institutions provide. Instead of spending money buying hotels to house them and feed them, they should be involuntarily institutionalized. It is for there own good as well as the health and safety of the community. If you watch the local news around here, you see multiple reports of serious crimes being committed by these folks. In one instance, the perpetrator spent less time in jail that the victim did in the hospital. They would not be jailed for being homeless but for committing felonies.

[propchef]

Originally Posted by RetiredbutWorking

In my area there are plenty of services for the folks that want them. The county pays rent, utilities, food. The feds provide SNAP, cells phones and more. There are plenty of people that live on the dole and maintain a residence. Today's homeless are not interested in that. Those without mental health issues and not addicted to drugs and alcohol like the freedom. They don't want help. To me, those folks should hit the bricks and move on down the line. If they don't or wont, lock 'em up. The others with issues need the help that institutions provide. Instead of spending money buying hotels to house them and feed them, they should be involuntarily institutionalized. It is for there own good as well as the health and safety of the community. If you watch the local news around here, you see multiple reports of serious crimes being committed by these folks. In one instance, the perpetrator spent less time in jail that the victim did in the hospital. They would not be jailed for being homeless but for committing felonies.

Criminalizing homelessness is inhumane and doesn't work. It's been tried. Treating the symptoms of homelessness doesn't get to the heart of the problem.

[R.Wold]

Originally Posted by propchef

Criminalizing homelessness is inhumane and doesn't work. It's been tried. Treating the symptoms of homelessness doesn't get to the heart of the problem.

This is not about criminalizing homelessness. It’s about enforcing laws the homeless break; prosecuting them for the crimes they commit. It may not be nice, but without laws, and enforcement, society breaks down and you have chaos.

This may seem like an over-statement of the problem to you, wherever you are comfortably and pleasantly situated, but to the folks who have this disaster of and lawlessness, sanitary insufficiency, and property devaluation stuck semi-permanently in their communities, it probably is not.

[TonyDi]

This thread has run off course many times. It's time that we move on.
Thank you to all that posted within the topic.

The thread is now closed.