Someone has started sleeping on the sidewalk next to our house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 not illegal to move trash/stuff people leave on sidewalks. also, I don’t care. point is you must demonstrate that this corner is not a friendly place to take over. they will find someplace else. if you’re naive and do nothing you’ll end up with an entire encampment in front of your house.

This is not true and is not how property law works. The only legal thing you can do if you remove their things is to take it to a police station to be claimed. However, it is better to not do that as you have no reasonable belief that the property has been abandoned/lost.

ok sure, put it in a bag and take it to a police station. nobody can leave junk on public sidewalks and expect it to remain there.

Don’t they usually have bags full of bags full of bags? You can use one of those to put his stuff into.

[Anonymous]

Thank your local nimby for making housing unaffordable.

[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.

You are not a good person.

naively allowing a homeless encampment to grow in front of your house is not being a good person. it’s being naive and hurting yourself and your family, and not helping anyone. it some cases it’s hurting people because it becomes a loci of drug dealing and crime.

No one is suggesting just leaving him be. The compassionate people are advocating calling non-profit or government services that can HELP him rather than stealing his stuff, spraying him with a hose (!!) or calling the cops on him.

There's a lot of space between naiveté and calling the cops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are not a good person.

naively allowing a homeless encampment to grow in front of your house is not being a good person. it’s being naive and hurting yourself and your family, and not helping anyone. it some cases it’s hurting people because it becomes a loci of drug dealing and crime.

No one is suggesting just leaving him be. The compassionate people are advocating calling non-profit or government services that can HELP him rather than stealing his stuff, spraying him with a hose (!!) or calling the cops on him.

There's a lot of space between naiveté and calling the cops.

And those of us with experience in this area can tell you that the belief that there's some super-nonprofit or government agency that is going to scoop them up and put them in housing is naive. DC does not forcibly take people to shelters, and most people on the streets chronically are not just waiting for a nice social worker to tell them about their options. DC doesn't even remove encampments unless they are a clear threat to health and safety, or just truly politically untenable (like the one outside of the school).

Most likely, this is just one person, who will move on. But I certainly would not be sanguine about it, because of the massive issues with encampments we have right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are not a good person.

naively allowing a homeless encampment to grow in front of your house is not being a good person. it’s being naive and hurting yourself and your family, and not helping anyone. it some cases it’s hurting people because it becomes a loci of drug dealing and crime.

No one is suggesting just leaving him be. The compassionate people are advocating calling non-profit or government services that can HELP him rather than stealing his stuff, spraying him with a hose (!!) or calling the cops on him.

There's a lot of space between naiveté and calling the cops.

Actually, the distance is between do nothing and spray them with a hose and steal their things. Within those two extremes, there are many reasonable options including trying to connect the person with social services and support, as well as calling the police.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank your local nimby for making housing unaffordable.

Would the Ward Three Vision shill please explain how building thousands more glass upscale flats in Upper NW at market rates is going to fix things for this person?

[Anonymous]

What would you want if you were in that situation? Have you talked to them? Asked them what they need?

I don't see how you expect them to care about what you want if you don't care about what they want. If you're approaching it from and adversarial standpoint you're just using your position of power to prioritize your needs over theirs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank your local nimby for making housing unaffordable.

Would the Ward Three Vision shill please explain how building thousands more glass upscale flats in Upper NW at market rates is going to fix things for this person?

Maybe they can get a job washing all those windows and afford a car to live in?

[Anonymous]

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.

If there’s a bum sleeping in front of my house I don’t care even the slightest bit about either of these points. Adios, amigo.

[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)

Those laws are likely unconstitutional https://www.npr.org/2019/12/16/788435163/supreme-court-wont-hear-case-to-ticket-homeless-for-sleeping-in-public-spaces and probably won’t be enforced

The 9th Circuit has no jurisdiction over DC and MPD already has a policy framework in place for enforcement. So everything you've posted is irrelevant.
https://policecomplaints.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/office%20of%20police%20complaints/publication/attachments/Blocking%20Passage%20Report.FINAL_.pdf

This.plus all lawyers know the Ninth Circus is ridiculous and also the most frequently reversed Circuit.

Nope.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2017/feb/10/sean-hannity/no-9th-circuit-isnt-most-overturned-court-country-/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What would you want if you were in that situation? Have you talked to them? Asked them what they need?

I don't see how you expect them to care about what you want if you don't care about what they want. If you're approaching it from and adversarial standpoint you're just using your position of power to prioritize your needs over theirs.

Sorry, but I think this is naive, bad advice.

This person is living in front of OP's home, which means this homeless person could be watching OP's kids and family's comings and goings. I would not interact in any way. You have no idea what kind of mental and other problems this person has.

OP, please keep us posted. I agree with calling the support agency, but I, personally, would also call the police. I would want a complaint on file about this in the unfortunate event that things escalate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would you want if you were in that situation? Have you talked to them? Asked them what they need?

I don't see how you expect them to care about what you want if you don't care about what they want. If you're approaching it from and adversarial standpoint you're just using your position of power to prioritize your needs over theirs.

Sorry, but I think this is naive, bad advice.

This person is living in front of OP's home, which means this homeless person could be watching OP's kids and family's comings and goings. I would not interact in any way. You have no idea what kind of mental and other problems this person has.

OP, please keep us posted. I agree with calling the support agency, but I, personally, would also call the police. I would want a complaint on file about this in the unfortunate event that things escalate.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would you want if you were in that situation? Have you talked to them? Asked them what they need?

I don't see how you expect them to care about what you want if you don't care about what they want. If you're approaching it from and adversarial standpoint you're just using your position of power to prioritize your needs over theirs.

Sorry, but I think this is naive, bad advice.

This person is living in front of OP's home, which means this homeless person could be watching OP's kids and family's comings and goings. I would not interact in any way. You have no idea what kind of mental and other problems this person has.

OP, please keep us posted. I agree with calling the support agency, but I, personally, would also call the police. I would want a complaint on file about this in the unfortunate event that things escalate.

OP here. I agree, I'm not comfortable approaching them myself. Good intentions can go wrong and I don't want to risk aggravating this person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would you want if you were in that situation? Have you talked to them? Asked them what they need?

I don't see how you expect them to care about what you want if you don't care about what they want. If you're approaching it from and adversarial standpoint you're just using your position of power to prioritize your needs over theirs.

Sorry, but I think this is naive, bad advice.

This person is living in front of OP's home, which means this homeless person could be watching OP's kids and family's comings and goings. I would not interact in any way. You have no idea what kind of mental and other problems this person has.

OP, please keep us posted. I agree with calling the support agency, but I, personally, would also call the police. I would want a complaint on file about this in the unfortunate event that things escalate.

So you're using this route. Got it. Just know that you're an unkind person. And if there's ever a conflict with someone in a higher position of power don't be shocked if they turn the tables on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would you want if you were in that situation? Have you talked to them? Asked them what they need?

I don't see how you expect them to care about what you want if you don't care about what they want. If you're approaching it from and adversarial standpoint you're just using your position of power to prioritize your needs over theirs.

Sorry, but I think this is naive, bad advice.

This person is living in front of OP's home, which means this homeless person could be watching OP's kids and family's comings and goings. I would not interact in any way. You have no idea what kind of mental and other problems this person has.

OP, please keep us posted. I agree with calling the support agency, but I, personally, would also call the police. I would want a complaint on file about this in the unfortunate event that things escalate.

So you're using this route. Got it. Just know that you're an unkind person. And if there's ever a conflict with someone in a higher position of power don't be shocked if they turn the tables on you.

An "unkind" person? Get off your high horse. How about a safe, rational person who is putting her family's needs first?