SF Police Commission Discusses Sit-Lie Ordinance

[RLF]

Mar 10, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - A controversial sit-lie ordinance proposed in San Francisco received a public airing once again Wednesday night as the city's Police Commission debated the issue of enforcement and who would be targeted.

The ordinance, proposed by Police Chief George Gascon and introduced last week at the Board of Supervisors by Mayor Gavin Newsom, would make it unlawful to sit or lie on a public sidewalk between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.

Exceptions would be made for medical emergencies, permitted demonstrations, persons in wheelchairs and babies in strollers, and people standing in line for goods or services.

Citations would be issued only after a warning. Further violations could result in jail time.

Homeless advocates have expressed concern the law would criminalize homelessness and be used as a tool to push them out of neighborhoods.

Read MORE: 

http://cbs5.com/crime/sit.lie.ordinance.2.1552846.html

[RLF]

Revelations about sit-lie

Melissa Griffin - Special to The Examiner - March 11, 2010

In researching the legality of sit-lie laws, I came across a study released in June called “Homes Not Handcuffs: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities.” It was published by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless. The report surveyed laws in 235 cities (including San Francisco) and made some interesting findings:

30 percent prohibit sitting or lying in certain public places.
47 percent prohibit loitering in certain public places and 19 percent prohibit it citywide.
47 percent prohibit begging in certain public places; 49 percent prohibit aggressive panhandling; and 23 percent have citywide prohibitions on begging.
At almost 200 pages, the report provides an exhaustive discussion of the legal landscape in 90 cities. Some have definitely used creative methods:

In Billings, Mont., it’s illegal to “aggressively solicit” and/or lie about being “from out of town, a veteran, disabled or homeless” while asking for money.
In Boerne, Texas, all panhandlers have to buy a license to solicit (like other solicitors and vendors) at a cost of $115. Durham, N.C., charges $20 for a panhandling permit.
Las Vegas, briefly had a law that prohibited sleeping “within 500 feet of a deposit of urine or feces.”

http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/columns/melissa_griffin/Revelations-about-sit-lie-87301197.html