Someone has started sleeping on the sidewalk next to our house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would watch and move their things when they are gone. And call the police/behavior health/shelter emergency line constantly. I’m all for supporting people but not allowing a homeless encampment to be established by my fence. Because it will never go away. They can camp beneath an underpass or on a median - not on a residential corner.

Don't touch their stuff. That's not legal.

It's also a really $Hitty thing to do.

DC has a department for this and you can call churches or try So Others Might Eat and get some referrals. I understand wanting the person removed, but I'd like to be able to offer them a solution.

Do you have the departments phone #?

[Anonymous]

OP, any update?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal. Call the cops.

Section 22-1307 of the DC Code is the District’s Blocking Passage statute. This law gives MPD officers the authority to prevent crowding, obstructing, or incommoding of public spaces. According to this statute, which was effective June 11, 2013, it is unlawful for one or more persons to crowd, obstruct, or incommode “(A) the use of any street, avenue, alley, road, highway, or sidewalk; (B) the entrance of any public or private building or enclosure; (C) the use of or passage through any public building or public conveyance; or (D) the passage through or within any park or reservation.” MPD officers are required to issue a move along order instructing any person who violates the above statute to cease doing so prior to issuing a citation. The law does not require proof that the person engaging in the activity actually “breached the peace.” Duffee v. D.C., 93 A.3d 1273, 1275 (D.C. 2014)

Congrats, you're part of the problem. Shipping him off to jail is a) counter productive and b) more expensive than housing.

He should be removed. He should not be taken to jail. My children have watched people sh*tting in the alley and doing drugs on the way to school these past two years because of your misplaced attitude. Caring about people and wanting them to be treated humanely doesn't mean letting people live and defecate and do drugs in the streets. That drags the entire society down.

FYI: I’ve never seen this in Ashburn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would watch and move their things when they are gone. And call the police/behavior health/shelter emergency line constantly. I’m all for supporting people but not allowing a homeless encampment to be established by my fence. Because it will never go away. They can camp beneath an underpass or on a median - not on a residential corner.

Oh, so you use “moving” as an euphemism for stealing? This is so low.

[Anonymous]

Police can NOT give “move along order” to someone sleeping on the street as long as they aren’t blocking the traffic flow and they aren’t blocking the entrance or exit to a building. IF they are blocking ALL the pikice can do is ask them to move over out of the way NOT force them to leave completely. No loietering laws have been brought down as unconstitutional.

[Anonymous]

(Zombie thread alert -- from 2021)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Police can NOT give “move along order” to someone sleeping on the street as long as they aren’t blocking the traffic flow and they aren’t blocking the entrance or exit to a building. IF they are blocking ALL the pikice can do is ask them to move over out of the way NOT force them to leave completely. No loietering laws have been brought down as unconstitutional.

Counselor, respectfully, it’s time for some CLE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Police can NOT give “move along order” to someone sleeping on the street as long as they aren’t blocking the traffic flow and they aren’t blocking the entrance or exit to a building. IF they are blocking ALL the pikice can do is ask them to move over out of the way NOT force them to leave completely. No loietering laws have been brought down as unconstitutional.

It is legal now, after the SCOTUS ruling this year. The Supreme Court decided that it is permissible to fine or arrest people for camping in public space. It was a ruling this June called CITY OF GRANTS PASS, OREGON v. JOHNSON. DC just chooses not ban it and they have decided to allow this behavior. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-175_19m2.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
(Zombie thread alert -- from 2021)

Sure.

I did not bump it, but has the problem improved at all since 2021, under Bowser and the current council ?

No. No it has not improved. So I’m glad someone bumped this, instead of just looking the other way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal. Call the cops.

Section 22-1307 of the DC Code is the District’s Blocking Passage statute. This law gives MPD officers the authority to prevent crowding, obstructing, or incommoding of public spaces. According to this statute, which was effective June 11, 2013, it is unlawful for one or more persons to crowd, obstruct, or incommode “(A) the use of any street, avenue, alley, road, highway, or sidewalk; (B) the entrance of any public or private building or enclosure; (C) the use of or passage through any public building or public conveyance; or (D) the passage through or within any park or reservation.” MPD officers are required to issue a move along order instructing any person who violates the above statute to cease doing so prior to issuing a citation. The law does not require proof that the person engaging in the activity actually “breached the peace.” Duffee v. D.C., 93 A.3d 1273, 1275 (D.C. 2014)

Congrats, you're part of the problem. Shipping him off to jail is a) counter productive and b) more expensive than housing.

He should be removed. He should not be taken to jail. My children have watched people sh*tting in the alley and doing drugs on the way to school these past two years because of your misplaced attitude. Caring about people and wanting them to be treated humanely doesn't mean letting people live and defecate and do drugs in the streets. That drags the entire society down.

But you voted FOR this.

You are a democrat, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal. Call the cops.

Section 22-1307 of the DC Code is the District’s Blocking Passage statute. This law gives MPD officers the authority to prevent crowding, obstructing, or incommoding of public spaces. According to this statute, which was effective June 11, 2013, it is unlawful for one or more persons to crowd, obstruct, or incommode “(A) the use of any street, avenue, alley, road, highway, or sidewalk; (B) the entrance of any public or private building or enclosure; (C) the use of or passage through any public building or public conveyance; or (D) the passage through or within any park or reservation.” MPD officers are required to issue a move along order instructing any person who violates the above statute to cease doing so prior to issuing a citation. The law does not require proof that the person engaging in the activity actually “breached the peace.” Duffee v. D.C., 93 A.3d 1273, 1275 (D.C. 2014)

Congrats, you're part of the problem. Shipping him off to jail is a) counter productive and b) more expensive than housing.

He should be removed. He should not be taken to jail. My children have watched people sh*tting in the alley and doing drugs on the way to school these past two years because of your misplaced attitude. Caring about people and wanting them to be treated humanely doesn't mean letting people live and defecate and do drugs in the streets. That drags the entire society down.

But you voted FOR this.

You are a democrat, no?

Considering it's Republicans who continuously slash social safety nets, refuse to provide healthcare, do nothing to fund homelessness programs, cut education funding, and fight affordable housing, no it's YOU who voted for this.

But sure, it's Democrats fault because we don't want to allow cops to forcibly remove the homeless people that YOUR policies caused. Because to you it doesn't actually matter if peole are homeless or not, it just matters that you personally don't have to see them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's illegal. Call the cops.

Section 22-1307 of the DC Code is the District’s Blocking Passage statute. This law gives MPD officers the authority to prevent crowding, obstructing, or incommoding of public spaces. According to this statute, which was effective June 11, 2013, it is unlawful for one or more persons to crowd, obstruct, or incommode “(A) the use of any street, avenue, alley, road, highway, or sidewalk; (B) the entrance of any public or private building or enclosure; (C) the use of or passage through any public building or public conveyance; or (D) the passage through or within any park or reservation.” MPD officers are required to issue a move along order instructing any person who violates the above statute to cease doing so prior to issuing a citation. The law does not require proof that the person engaging in the activity actually “breached the peace.” Duffee v. D.C., 93 A.3d 1273, 1275 (D.C. 2014)

Congrats, you're part of the problem. Shipping him off to jail is a) counter productive and b) more expensive than housing.

He should be removed. He should not be taken to jail. My children have watched people sh*tting in the alley and doing drugs on the way to school these past two years because of your misplaced attitude. Caring about people and wanting them to be treated humanely doesn't mean letting people live and defecate and do drugs in the streets. That drags the entire society down.

But you voted FOR this.

You are a democrat, no?

I am a democrat who believes we should clear out homeless encampments and that we should take a hard line on drugs on the street as well as public health threats like people defecating in public areas. These things are not contradictory. I believe in a strong social safety net and spending public dollars to house people and get them into rehab and jobs programs. I'm a big government dem who thinks the government as the power and responsibility to help people.

The problem in DC is that you virtually never have an opportunity to vote for people like this. And if you advocate for it people call you racist which aside from being untrue also tends to halt conversation and lead to stalemate.

What I would like to see is a some law and order black political candidates in DC who will take a hard line on this stuff and clean up the city. You can't have a white politician do it -- it is just politically infeasible. I know lots of black people in DC who have this attitude. But none of them are in politics. A lot of the special interest groups will rip people apart if you take this line -- they call you a cop and a racist and say you don't care about people.

It's really frustrating. There is no reason we have to live like this and if we did it right we could be a shining example of how to handle some of these issues in a major city. Though PP is probably right that DC is unlikely to be able to spearhead this movement because of the Congressional oversight issue -- Congressional Republicans will stand in the way even of policies they support because they explicitly want DC as a political football to point out and say "see look at the failed Dem policies." The Hatch Act also stand in our way because it limits who can run for office in a city full of federal workers. And also the lack of a clear path to higher office beyond DC City Council or mayor means ambitious people skip it.

I think DC is kind of locked into this stupidity and it's a shame.

[Anonymous]

We need to stop all illegal immigration to this country. We are spending a fortune on social services for illegal immigrants when we have US citizens sleeping in the gutters and taking over all of the community public spaces like parks and libraries. It’s disgraceful. It will cost a fortune to handle the homeless crisis including in-patient rehab, mental health services, transitional housing, and, in some cases, permanent institutionalization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We need to stop all illegal immigration to this country. We are spending a fortune on social services for illegal immigrants when we have US citizens sleeping in the gutters and taking over all of the community public spaces like parks and libraries. It’s disgraceful. It will cost a fortune to handle the homeless crisis including in-patient rehab, mental health services, transitional housing, and, in some cases, permanent institutionalization.

No one cares maga. Deal with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need to stop all illegal immigration to this country. We are spending a fortune on social services for illegal immigrants when we have US citizens sleeping in the gutters and taking over all of the community public spaces like parks and libraries. It’s disgraceful. It will cost a fortune to handle the homeless crisis including in-patient rehab, mental health services, transitional housing, and, in some cases, permanent institutionalization.

No one cares maga. Deal with it.

I’m not Maga but I recognize that our country does not have infinite resources.