The Florida House is discussing a bill that would ban sleeping in public places. (Many cities I’ve seen in Florida already have this ban in place.)
GROSS!! <multiple anger emojis; crying emojis; the scream emoji>
I once heard a quote, can’t remember who said it, but something to the effect that the elites / oligarchs don’t need to wage war on the working classes; they can easily just get us to wage war on each other.
At some point we will learn that making life miserable for those less fortunate than ourselves just backfires on us all.
Like for example, when benches are removed because homeless people might sit there. And now nobody gets a place to sit. Ditto with closing public restrooms, shutting down water fountains, etc.
If sleeping in public places is banned, does that mean people will be ticketed for napping on the beach??? There’s no way to just punish homeless people with stuff like this. The net is cast over us all when we do stuff like this.
Not that homeless people deserve to be punished!
If there’s not enough places where people can live affordably, we can hardly fault people for sleeping outdoors.
Actually, I think people should just be allowed to sleep outdoors if they want to, period.
It used to be perfectly normal to take naps in parks and so on. I have done it many many times, more than I can count.
In the book A Pattern Language (one of my top favorite permaculture design books that never mention the word permaculture) by Alexander et al., sleeping outdoors is even presented as one of the essential patterns making up a sustainable society.
Note, many cities already have camping bans, prohibiting overnight camping. But this is going further, banding any kind of sleeping in public at all. At any time of day.
With just the camping ban, at least a person only has to stay out of sight of the police and pearl-clutching Karens / “law and order” neighborhood watch types overnight. Whereas with the total ban on sleeping in public it makes life just all the harder. For people who are already living harsh.
#classism #elitism #respectabilitypolitics #CasteInAmerica
— Oh, and if you want to know more about the unacknowledged caste system in the USA and around the world, please go see the movie ORIGIN. Very, very eye-opening and explains a lot!!
Update: possible action step
And on this topic, today I just happened to get an email newsletter from @Care2, urging people to sign this petition asking the Supreme Court to forbid cities from enacting prohibitions on sleeping in public.
Here is the text:
“In cities across the United States, unhoused people are being punished simply for existing without a home. This is the harsh reality faced by countless homeless individuals across the United States, as they are ticketed for sleeping in public spaces — a direct consequence of their circumstances. This practice not only worsens their struggles but also challenges the very essence of human dignity and compassion.
“Sign this petition to urge state governments to enact laws that prohibit ticketing homeless individuals for sleeping in public spaces.
“The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision to consider whether cities may issue tickets to homeless people sleeping on public property is a critical moment. It raises fundamental questions about our society’s treatment of its most vulnerable members. Unhoused individuals often have no choice but to sleep in public areas, especially when adequate shelter or housing is not available. Penalizing them for this is not only cruel but counterproductive. No matter what the Supreme Court decides, states must pass laws that forbid the ticketing of homeless individuals for sleeping in public spaces. Sign this petition to support the enactment of laws that protect the rights and dignity of homeless individuals.”
Go here to sign the petition: