21-03-2025
The ugly truth about the Safer Kentucky Act: It's cruel toward homeless people
I recently read an opinion piece by two advocates for the 'Safer Kentucky Act' entitled 'Despite fears of criminalizing homelessness, Kentucky's camping ban is working.' This piece enraged me.
The real purpose of the law is to scare homeless people off of the streets and into hiding. Police don't need to issue a citation to do that. Fear is enough.
Did these men interview a single homeless person? How about the people who work to address the problem of homelessness? I suspect not. The answers they would receive would not support their ridiculous claims.
It seems quaint to describe living on the streets as 'camping.' A more accurate description is that our homeless brothers and sisters are 'trying to survive' on the streets. But I guess criminalizing 'trying to survive' sounds, well, a little too cold blooded even for the 'Safer KY' crowd.
These apologists provide no evidence that the 'Safer Kentucky act' has made a single person safer or that a single homeless person has benefitted in any way. The ugly truth about the 'Safer Kentucky Act' is that it is cynical, morally repellant and cruel.
—James Jackson, 40223
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Safer Kentucky Act criminalizes homelessness | Letter
