FRESNO (KMJ) — A proposal to curb camping within the City of Fresno is being put forward by Fresno City Councilman Steve Brandau.
“Every week my council office gets pounded with calls from residents and business owners over homeless related problems in Northwest Fresno,” explains Brandau.
“It doesn’t take very many conversations to have down here at City Hall to know that this is happening city-wide.”
His answer to the issue is what he calls the “Unhealthy and Hazardous Camping Act,” which was announced Tuesday morning inside Fresno City Hall.
“It’s actually focused on a set of behaviors within a group. That includes camping, pitching tents, sleeping, preparing food, bathing, and crapping in public places in the City of Fresno.
“It happens all over the place.”
Brandau adds that his primary goal is to help the residents of Fresno, who he feels are being taken advantage of by the approximately 600 individuals committing those acts.
“Right now we have 600 people holding a city of half-a-million people hostage. That’s what I’m responding to.”
Police Chief Jerry Dyer says it’ll serve as another tool for officers tasked with responding to complaints.
“However, that’s not our primary goal just to take these individuals to jail. We want, number one, voluntary compliance and we’re also, in lieu of taking someone to jail, going to give them an opportunity to go to the rescue mission.”
Breaking the proposed city ordinance would constitute a misdemeanor, with involves a maximum jail time of six months and a maximum fine of $1000.
“There could be a fine involved, there could be some jail time involved, there could be some community service involved, there could be a number of those sentencing outcomes.”
But Chief Dyer reveals that if the person chooses to go to the rescue mission then they can avoid the criminal justice system altogether.
“What we can do though is utilize that as an alternative to fixing the problem. But the main goal is to alleviate the problem.”
During the announcement, demonstrators gathered outside to protest the proposal.
“Open more shelters,” requested Homeless in Fresno’s Sean Segura. “Open more shelters and just give them a chance…that’s all it has to be. Not just ship them out and send them to jail.”
The ordinance is scheduled to go in front of Fresno City Councilmembers on Thursday.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
