New Jersey town bans sleeping in municipal lot in effort to stop homeless individuals from camping out
It gives police the authority to ask anyone sleeping or camping out in the municipal parking lot behind town hall to leave. If they don't comply, they could face arrest and 90 days behind bars, along with a $2,000 fine.
The ordinance passed on July 30 with four council members voting in favor and two against, with one abstaining.
The mayor says he saw groups of homeless people hanging out in the lot earlier in the summer and says residents complained.
"We've seen two people overdose on drugs ... We've caught people selling narcotics," Mayor Daniel Rodrick said. "We had 20-some-odd people decide they were going to live there for a few days. We had car thefts."
Those who advocate for homeless individuals say the new ordinance is going to make it difficult to help those who need shelter.
"Anything that is going to criminalize people experiencing unsheltered homelessness is going to make it so much harder for them to get back into housing," said Taiisa Kelly, with Monarch Housing Associates.
Kelly says her organization has been working with outreach teams, helping 78 unsheltered people in Toms River and finding housing for 50 of them.
"The way to help support people is not by putting on fines that they can't afford. It's not by putting them in jail and creating a record for them," she said. "It's by having outreach teams go out and work with them."
"We're not looking to put people in jail, but the police need tools so that they can tell folks, 'Hey, you are not permitted to be here,'" Rodrick said.
Residents are split on the ordinance.
"I think that was terrible. I think in Toms River, we need to do more for the homeless. This is an affluent community," Toms River resident Carol Allan said.
"It's a lose-lose situation. It's dangerous. It's not good to have, but they have to do something to help them find another alternative," Toms River resident Alex van Haak said.
Other residents told CBS News New York off camera they were feeling unsafe in the lot, which is also by the library.
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