The US metropolis of Las Vegas has issued a controversial ordinance to get homeless off the streets. Accordingly, sleeping or camping in public places - for example on sidewalks and streets - is punished.
The ban will come into force on Sunday and the new penalties will be imposed from February 2020. They range from a payment of 1000 dollars (about 905 euros) up to six months imprisonment.
The scheme applies to Las Vegas residential areas and the city center, but not to the Strip, the city's casino mile, which is considered to be another jurisdiction. The regulation will not apply on days when the city's homeless shelters are occupied.
The decree meets with protest. Local media reported on Wednesday evening that critics were demonstrating outside the city hall. They shouted "home, not handcuffed" and held up signs with inscriptions like "Poverty is not a crime". Other parts of the US have also been criticized, including several Democratic presidential candidates.
Mayor defends action
The mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, defended the measure. The ban was necessary in a city that was heavily dependent on tourism revenues. It would also protect "the health and safety of the entire community". The regulation is not about punishing homeless people, but about integrating them into society, Goodman told NPR broadcaster.
An annual survey of more than 5,500 people was counted on the streets of southern Nevada one evening in January. There are only about 2000 beds available in Las Vegas accommodations and charities. Moreover, in a 2016 survey, more than half of the homeless surveyed said they had not used accommodation in the past 12 months. Most justified this with bed bugs (33 percent), dirty conditions (18 percent) and safety concerns (17.1 percent).
Las Vegas has already tried with some other measures to remove homeless people from the cityscape. So public food was banned. In addition, for example, temporary public parks were closed.
The former mayor and husband of today's mayor, Oscar Goodman, had once, according to the newspaper "USA Today" even suggested to bring homeless people in about 50 kilometers away, empty prison.
Homelessness is also a problem in some other US cities. This could make it an important theme of the 2020 presidential campaign.
