Posted on 06/21/2015 11:11:13 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Madison City Council overrode Mayor Paul Soglin’s veto Tuesday evening, adding homelessness as a protected class under its Equal Opportunities Ordinance.
The change adds homelessness to classifications like age, disability, arrest record, sexual orientation, political beliefs and others, providing limited protection against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.
"It's very narrow, very slim part of the law," said Department of Civil Rights director Lucia Nuñez.
The 17-1 vote came after hours of testimony and debate that coupled the ordinance change with the overarching concern of how to address the city’s issues with homelessness.
“We have a reputation. We have a reputation for being very accommodating and that there are no rules,” said Mayor Paul Soglin.
He vetoed the ordinance last week and spoke against it Tuesday evening, arguing it would become part of a “body of work” the city has created formulating the "no rules" reputation.
“We all want to be viewed as compassionate, having empathy, having understanding,” Soglin said. “We’ve reached a point where our compassion, our empathy, our understanding has done more damage than good.”
He pointed to issues with heroin, alcohol abuse, food and feces left around the City-County Building, sex on picnic tables behind the Madison Municipal Building, aggressive panhandling and fights.
Others acknowledged those issues but questioned what actual negative consequences this ordinance change would have. Many members of the public testified in support of the ordinance change, with a few sharing their experiences as homeless individuals and a few testifying against it.
“Blacks had to fight for civil rights,” said Ulysses Williams. “This is the homeless’ turn to start fighting. You’ve got an opportunity to make homeless a protected class. That will help a lot of the problems, not all of them, but some of them.”
Kat Koski, who is homeless, said it’s difficult to find a job when you don’t have an address to put down on the application or the address is the women’s shelter.
While the ordinance change wouldn’t prohibit landlords from not accepting someone based on rental history, it would prohibit them from applying their requirements unevenly to someone who is homeless versus someone who is not.
“Folks, we’re talking about human beings, we’re talking about human rights, we’re talking about social justice,” said former alder Brian Benford.
Asked by Ald. Samba Baldeh what the solution is to the problems, Soglin laid out phases that would culminate in Housing First with one thousand units of housing for families and single individuals. Before that, the goal would be to have the chronically homeless housed within two to three years and homeless veterans housed within two years. In the meantime, he said, the need is for a day center and a better facility for Porchlight.
Ald. Marsha Rummel agreed with that path forward but questioned the mayor’s words and actions in recent months. She pointed to a memo Soglin sent in April telling all homeless individuals to come to the City-County Building or shelters instead of staying on State Street or other areas with encampments. Now, she said, he is raising issues with the homeless on the steps of the City-County Building and has decried new arrivals each week.
“You give mixed messages,” she said.
In response, Soglin said he does want them all in one place, but with rules.
“I don’t want to see us losing more and more parts of the city,” Soglin said.
Soglin said he plans to introduce a budget amendment in coming months that would involve people working specifically with homeless people who gather at Philosopher’s Grove and on the steps of the City-County Building as part of downtown programming. He also said he will step up enforcement of laws on the books relating to aggressive panhandling, public consumption of liquor and aggressive behavior.
“I’ve been very sensitive to the notion that to make arrests for a lot of these behaviors is to criminalize homelessness, but now that there seems to be a uniform voice that, you have enough laws on the books already, why not enforce them? We will enforce them," Soglin said.
The council ultimately voted to override the veto 17-1. Ald. Sheri Carter recused herself as president of the Porchlight Board, Ald. Matt Phair was absent and Ald. Paul Skidmore voted against the override citing administrative concern and a desire for amendments.
Sounds like San Fransisco, where “the right wing” are those people who think that the homeless shouldn’t be allowed to take a sh*t in the middle of the street.
Madison Council over-rides Commie Mayor’s veto — declares homelessness a protected class.
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Everybody is born Right-Handed. Only the greatest of us can overcome the affliction.
And if the Recall would have been held over the Presidential election of 2012, we would have had Tom Barrett for two years as Governor... Because of Madiwaukee.
Sad. How many are at the downtown rescue mission trying to get off drugs? The mission offers the Lord as their savior plus so much more to get them off drugs plus teach a new job skill. Most refuse the mission. Pan handling gets them drugs. This is not the America I knew Obama.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.