25 Sep Homeless Help at LAST!
Being homeless is not a crime. Parking lots are full of “sleeper cars,” and hotels are full of families trying to get by. These folks are struggling with the 30% past four-year inflation that has gutted the buying power of their no-increased fixed incomes These poor folks are further harmed by the 18 million illegal alien invasion that has reduced wages and taken jobs from legal residents. This type of homelessness will be fixed with a robust economy that produces jobs and pay increases above the national inflation rate.
Homeless folks who have no interest in working, preferring instead to sleep, defecate, urinate, and abuse themselves with intoxicants, cannot be cured by a robust job market; they don’t want to work! The fact is it is illegal under CA State codes CVC 23152(a), CPC 647(f), to be “under the influence” of a controlled substance obstructing public property (sidewalks, alleys, streets, curbs, and city parks). There is virtually no enforcement of intoxicant laws by police against homeless folks under the influence. Conviction is a misdemeanor with a term of up to six months in county jail, or a fine of up to $1,000, or both! Driving under the influence is a statutory blood alcohol level of .08, and public intoxication is another matter entirely, being related to personal impairment and impeding public right-of-way.
It is estimated that 60% of homeless folks are under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants. Enforcement is simple for alcohol using a field Breathalyzer. It is illegal to drink in public and in public parks. Visible beer cans and empty wine/booze bottles is sufficient reasonable cause to test for public intoxication. THC (marijuana chemical intoxicant) can likewise be tested in the field. If police were to start enforcing existing laws in the field there would be a flood of cases to be adjudicated.
The process would be simple. The intoxicated miscreant would be brought before a judge and offered three options: (1) go to jail, (2) pay a fine, (3) go to rehab for 30 or 90 days. Fine payment up to $1,000 is unlikely as is the prison option leaving rehab. Recidivism is likely with repeat intoxication after rehab; only this time, it’s off to the pokey. One strike and they are out, or they move to another city with lax enforcement before being intoxicated again. They will run out of cities to impinge upon and have to get sober or stay in jail. Over half the homeless problem is solved!
We cannot and will not continue to have our children walk to school and play in neighborhoods with people passed out surrounded by empty beer cans and drug needles; this must stop today!