Jeff McChesney reads a newspaper while sitting on a piece of furniture dumped on Cole Street in the Haight.
Posted on 03/02/2010 7:46:21 AM PST by SmithL
It could soon be illegal to sit or lie on public sidewalks anywhere in San Francisco, a law Mayor Gavin Newsom says would make city life safer for pedestrians and merchants, but that homeless advocates and others say would amount to profiling against the poor.
Newsom will introduce two separate versions of a sit/lie law today at the Board of Supervisors. One version would prohibit sitting or lying on public sidewalks in about 20 commercial corridors throughout the city and is modeled on a similar law in Seattle that was upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Court of Appeals.
The other would prevent the behavior everywhere, including in residential neighborhoods, and is believed to be a first nationwide.
"He's not wedded to any particular approach," said the mayor's spokesman, Tony Winnicker. "Obviously, we do want one to pass the board, and we're introducing them with the hope and expectation the board will pass a meaningful sit/lie ordinance."
Police Chief George Gascón has been pushing for a sit/lie ordinance in the Haight after learning of bands of thugs blocking sidewalks and bullying merchants, pedestrians and neighborhood residents.
Newsom, who bought a home in the Haight recently, was convinced to support an ordinance after walking along Haight Street with his infant daughter and seeing someone smoking crack and blocking the entrance of a business.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
They hardly do anything about breaking and entering anymore. But they have time to haul loiterers to jail?
Newsom, who bought a home in the Haight recently, was convinced to support an ordinance after walking along Haight Street with his infant daughter and seeing someone smoking crack and blocking the entrance of a business.And if he'd been mugged, would he have converted to conservatism?
Wow, the land of pisslousi is beginning to connect civilized synapses. Who knew this was possible?
Another failed attempt to control normally-acceptable behavior. If they would stop prosecuting people for busting heads what need to be busted, this problem would go away.
Crack boy wouldn’t smoke crack in the doorway of a business if he thought his head would get busted for it.
When I was a kid, bums were allowed to hang around if they behaved. If they didn’t, they got a pint of skullbuster, a whack in the head with a nightstick and a free ride in a boxcar to another town
You have to remember, the homeless are paid to be homeless. It’s their job. It’s how they make a living. If you fire them from their job, they will have to get another job.
If you give money to a homeless person, you are paying him to be homeless.
“Profiling against the poor!” So I guess a whole bunch of laws profile against CRIMINALS!!! Let’s drop those too.
Newsom... walking along Haight Street with his infant daughter and seeing someone smoking crack and blocking the entrance of a business.Oh so the solution is to not let people sit down?
How about arresting the criminals instead of criminalizing all the citizens?
I don't see where The Mayor called the police and had this crack smoker arrested.
I guess it would be profiling to arrest someone in the act of a crime.
What if you bring your own folding chair? One of them there canvas types with a high back would be great for a nap.
Every SF Mayor tries something like this after a while - then Homeless Advocacy, Inc. rises up in outrage and reminds him just how much money is at stake.
But only by humans.
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