Latest news with #JamelBoyer
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Affluent New Jersey city considers controversial ordinance that would fine or jail homeless people for sleeping outside
A tony New Jersey city is considering approving a controversial new ordinance that would fine or jail homeless people found sleeping in public spaces. Summit Councilman Jamel Boyer, a Republican, introduced the ordinance last Tuesday, claiming it serves to 'preserve the safe and accessible use of public property for all residents, pedestrians and businesses.' The ordinance in Summit would prohibit the homeless from camping in public areas, including parks, sidewalks, alleyways, and benches. If approved, anyone found violating the ordinance would face a fine of up to $2,000 'and/or imprisonment or community service for a term not to exceed ninety days,' the order says. A similar ordinance was presented in Morristown, NJ, in February but was struck down following massive backlash from the community and advocacy groups, reported. But Boyer assured that the controversial ordinance 'addresses the growing concerns about obstructions and public nuisances caused by encampments while ensuring our shared spaces remain clean, safe and welcoming for the community.' Of the six-person council, only Councilmember Claire Toth, a Democrat, spoke out against the ordinance. 'After two years of significant progress on reducing homelessness in Summit, capped by our receiving national recognition at the recent National Alliance to End Homelessness conference in Los Angeles, this moves us in the wrong direction,' she said at the meeting. Still, Boyer swore that the ordinance 'is not about criminalizing homelessness,' but rather preventing it and 'doing the right thing.' Summit has already made efforts toward eliminating homelessness. Last year, the city established a task force to address homelessness and said it was able to place 20 out of 25 homeless people in stable housing. Its effectiveness was even celebrated at the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference in March. Last June, an Oregon city's ordinance that fines homelessness encampments on public property went all the way to the Supreme Court, which determined it did not violate the excessive fines or bail protections listed in the Eighth Amendment. 'Yes, people will disagree over which policy responses are best; they may experiment with one set of approaches only to find later another set works better; they may find certain responses more appropriate for some communities than others. But in our democracy, that is their right,' Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. The ordinance that was considered in the Supreme Court included a fine of at least $295 for first-time offenders. Punishment for repeat offenders included a 30-day ban from city parks and, if they neglected the ban, a criminal trespass charge punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine. The Summit ordinance will be back on the table for discussion at a hearing on April 22, the Summit council president said.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wealthy New Jersey city considers controversial ordinance that would fine or jail homeless people sleeping outside
A wealthy New Jersey city is considering a controversial ordinance that would fine or potentially jail homeless people for sleeping in public spaces. Summit Councilman Jamel Boyer, a Republican, introduced the ordinance Tuesday at a Summit Common Council meeting, saying its purpose is to "preserve the safe and accessible use of public property for all residents, pedestrians and businesses." The ordinance would prohibit homeless individuals from camping in public areas such as city streets, sidewalks, alleyways, parks, bus shelters, athletic courts and benches. Violators could face a fine of up to $2,000 "and/or imprisonment or community service for a term not to exceed ninety days," the order says. Boyer said the ordinance "addresses the growing concerns about obstructions and public nuisances caused by encampments while ensuring our shared spaces remain clean, safe and welcoming for the community." Councilmember Claire Toth, a Democrat, was the only member of the six-person council to oppose the ordinance. "After two years of significant progress on reducing homelessness in Summit, capped by our receiving national recognition at the recent National Alliance to End Homelessness conference in Los Angeles, this moves us in the wrong direction," she said at the meeting. In response, Boyer said the ordinance "is not about criminalizing homelessness." "It's about doing the right thing; we want to prevent homelessness, not maintain it," he said. Morristown introduced a similar ordinance in February but pulled it following community backlash. Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty said at the time that he asked the council to reconsider the motion after receiving feedback from advocacy groups and the community, reported. "As the county seat, Morristown is often unfortunately forced to bear a disproportionately high burden of trying to resolve challenges created by regional needs with limited local resources," he said. "After thoughtful reflection and listening to feedback from community members and advocates, I have asked the Council President and he has agreed to withdraw this ordinance from further consideration," he added. The Summit council president said the ordinance will be addressed at an April 22 hearing. Summit, located in Union County within the New York metropolitan area, has a median household income of $199,107, according to 2023 data from Last year, the city established a task force to address homelessness. In a news release, the city said it was able to place 20 out of the 25 homeless individuals in stable housing. The city's effort to reduce the homeless population was recognized at the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference in March. Boyer and Toth did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. This article was originally published on
NBC News
07-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Wealthy New Jersey city considers controversial ordinance that would fine or jail homeless people sleeping outside
A wealthy New Jersey city is considering a controversial ordinance that would fine or potentially jail homeless people for sleeping in public spaces. Summit Councilman Jamel Boyer, a Republican, introduced the ordinance Tuesday at a Summit Common Council meeting, saying its purpose is to "preserve the safe and accessible use of public property for all residents, pedestrians, and businesses." The ordinance would prohibit unhoused individuals from camping in public areas such as city streets, sidewalks, alleyways, parks, bus shelters, athletic courts, and benches. Violators could face a fine of up to $2,000 "and/or imprisonment or community service for a term not to exceed ninety days," the order says. Boyer said the ordinance "addresses the growing concerns about obstructions and public nuisances caused by encampments while ensuring our shared spaces remain clean, safe and welcoming for the community." Councilmember Claire Toth, a Democrat, was the only member of the six-person council to oppose the ordinance. "After two years of significant progress on reducing homelessness in Summit, capped by our receiving national recognition at the recent National Alliance to End Homelessness conference in Los Angeles, this moves us in the wrong direction," she said at the meeting. In response, Boyer said the ordinance "is not about criminalizing homelessness." "It's about doing the right thing; we want to prevent homelessness, not maintain it," he said. Morristown introduced a similar ordinance in February but pulled it following community backlash. Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty said at the time that he asked the council to reconsider the motion after receiving feedback from advocacy groups and the community, reported. "As the county seat, Morristown is often unfortunately forced to bear a disproportionately high burden of trying to resolve challenges created by regional needs with limited local resources," he said. "After thoughtful reflection and listening to feedback from community members and advocates, I have asked the Council President and he has agreed to withdraw this ordinance from further consideration," he added. The Summit council president said the ordinance will be addressed at an April 22 hearing. Summit, located in Union County within the New York metropolitan area, has a median household income of $199,107, according to 2023 data from Last year, the city established a task force to address homelessness. In a news release, the city said it was able to place 20 out of the 25 homeless individuals in stable housing. The city's effort to reduce the homeless population was recognized at the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference in March.
