Well Des Moines is going to start fining people for being homeless.....
- Thread starter Jimmy McGill
- Start date
I believe this will be an official policy, but will not be enforced heavily (I sure hope not). Most DMPD I know would rather offer help than punish.
I hope you are right. I mean, if there is not a shelter bed, where are they supposed go? Jump in the river? Some are mentally ill, some are addicts, some are down on their luck. I don't have the answer. I know assessing fines is not the right answer.
It’s a complicated topic so hopefully this doesn’t devolve into a political pissing match. The city has a vested interest in keeping their public areas safe and clean. You can’t just take homeless people to shelters because the heavy majority of them don’t want to go there anyway. If you force them into the suburbs, those cities will change their ordinances in response.
And it’s not like these are people that are going to be able to afford $50 fines that accumulate every few days.
And it’s not like these are people that are going to be able to afford $50 fines that accumulate every few days.
Exactly. Very complicated. But lets say you start fining someone $50 per offense and it is not paid. It will be reported to credit agencies. Guess what happens if that homeless person scraps together some money to put down a down payment for an apartment. The apartment agency is likely going to run their credit, and see they are in default on debts that are superior to the apt. company. Credit rating will be shit. It is a cycle.
But I agree, some of these folks want to live homeless. Not many, but some.
It is complicated! But of all the options, handing out fines ranks low on my personal list. As I mentioned above, I sure hope DMPD officers have conversations instead of write tickets.
We make a shelter where they ride bikes to charge batteries to power shit in the community and assuming they "work", let's call it one pedal every 15 seconds, they get 3 hots and a cot.
Thinking outside the box needs to happen on issues like this. It is not black and white. That sounds like a great idea.
Do you know a lot of homeless people with good credit?
The city should simultaneously fine them and put them in contact with organizations that help get homeless people into housing. The fine would simply be a way to document them into the system and potentially see if they can scrape together a minimal payment, as they would need to for low income housing.
Maybe it's not that sophisticated, but seems like that would be doable and perhaps build homeless people up rather than discourage.
You want to punish a person for being poor. Debtor prisons have been outlawed for centuries. The rest I can work with you on.
Doesn't it just go the route of other unpaid fines.
Eventually a warrant, and your next 'contact' they lock you up.
After you get out, you decide if you want to mosey down the road.
Seems like the obvious 'plan' on the face of it, is something more to it?
2 types of people in this world Jimmy, the type of people who get shit done, and the type of people who don't. I'm not always right, but I get shit done.
Here is how my brain works though. Now I'm like ok wait a minute if some form of "base income" ( hey, look at this guy) could be offered for what any reasonable person would consider very achievable "work" why couldn't we offer that same thing for higher achievers( still good for society as green energy usage goes up) but offer them a tax break as part of it or some other form of basic income.
Rough math: guy who is hanging on 1 pedal every 15 seconds for 7.5 hours ( 30 minute provided lunch) 7.5x60x60÷15=1800 pedals
Guy who crushes 1800/45( minute lunch) =40 pedals per minute ( I could give myself a "2"% tax break working out through lunch.
#jackherer
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Agree with what most have said. Would prefer to not actually fine anyone. But, the police need a way to prevent these increasingly common tent cities. There is shelter space available, but some don’t want to utilize those services. But, you can’t allow people to openly squat in public places, with the problems that will bring. There needs to be a better public work/service for public housing option available.
I found this video an interesting and worthwhile examination of counterproductive misunderstandings and myths about homelessness (referencing a fairly comprehensive research publication on the topic) that impede more serious discussions the public has to have to address the multitude of issues that exacerbate the housing problem in the US. Video also discusses ideas for improvement. Our anecdotes about the homeless we encounter and our often callous judgments about them should not be used as an excuse to ignore considerations of systemic issues which when addressed could have a greater positive impact than teaching individual homeless people internet grindset culture.
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