Law-abiding citizens have a right to use public parks
Anarchy is fake compassion. Law and order is true compassion.
This is an open letter to my state representative, sent on April 19.
I was pleasantly surprised to see people in the state legislature attempt to deal with street homelessness by bringing law and order into the situation. I urge you to support the amendment to Senate Bill 197 making it a misdemeanor to camp on public land or right-of-way without authorization.
Homelessness has been a difficult problem for generations, and we should be looking for ways to get people off the streets. It is good to have compassion for them. However, another group has been totally ignored by our civil authorities for far too long: Law abiding, tax-paying citizens. There are parks here in Bloomington that are no-go zones for reasons of safety, especially for families with children. Law-abiding citizens have been effectively banned from the public parks we pay for due to city government's incompetence.
Take Seminary Square Park, the historic original home of Indiana University. Over 2000 needles were picked up in the park in 2021, about half of which had been used. From January through September 22, 2022, city staff found 1039 needles in the park. People will not visit this historic park because of the dangerous climate there, and city leaders simply do not care.
This is not confined to city parks. I went to the Farmer's Market last fall to find discarded needles on the sidewalk right across the street from where people bring their children to buy locally-grown produce. When city government is so weak and incompetent that people cannot even go to the Farmer's Market without discovering discarded needles, it is time for state government to step in and protect law-abiding citizens from the negligence of city government. This legislation is a step in the right direction.
Allowing rampant homeless encampments is hardly "compassionate" for the homeless, as these camps are nests of drugs and crime, not to mention serious issues with public sanitation with public urination and defecation. Homeless people are victimized by each other (despite the Fake News Media pretending otherwise) and law abiding citizens are menaced and victimized by these people. Anarchy and weakness are not compassionate. Law and order is true compassion.
There are many problems that lead to homelessness, and this law will not fix them. It is, however, a step in the right direction and should become law as soon as possible. Please support this legislation and stand with the law-abiding citizens of Indiana who have been repeatedly failed by local government.
