"..why not just make it a crime to be poor?"

[The Vegan Marxist]

oh oh, i have a better idea why not just make it a crime to be poor

Well, looks like you could be right. This is coming out as the police's perspective, but in reality, the state clearly doesn't like seeing poor people on the streets, so, instead of helping the housing problem, they just give them a fine (which we know they won't be able to pay off) and then inevitably thrown in jail:

San Francisco Police Begin Enforcing Sit/Lie Law
March 15, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) – San Francisco police officers have started enforcing the city’s new ban on sitting and lying on the sidewalk.

In November, voters approved the sit/lie law, which makes it illegal to hang out on San Francisco sidewalks between 7 am and 11 pm.

Finally, after a few months of training, police officers are starting to enforce the law, giving verbal or written warnings for now.

Steve has been sitting on the Haight Street sidewalk for 40 years and got his first warning on Tuesday.

“The cops said that the first time, we get admonished. And then after that, they’ll start filling out tickets,” he said. “They only have a select few that they’re going to choose to do that with.”

Those tickets will start at $50 and could escalate to $500 or even jail time.

Bar owner Brian Molony owns Martin Mack’s and is one of the founders of the new Haight Ashbury Merchants Association.

He said he hasn’t noticed an impact yet, but he hopes the law will help police clean up the Haight, especially at the corner of Haight and Masonic.

“Businesses there really have a hard time,” he said. “People don’t want to walk over people who are peeing on the street. The whole thing is a disaster there.”

Officers who are patrolling the beat said for now, they will direct people to city services and not hand out tickets.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/03/15/san-francisco-police-begin-enforcing-sitlie-law/

[Hoplite]

Wait wait wait...people who have no money and are living on the streets....and you're...going to fine them?

Does this seem bass-ackwards to anyone else?

[brigadista]

it is a crime to be poor that is why so many people doing time for crimes of property

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread." - Anatole France

[Ligeia]

This reminds me of this book called "Prisons of Poverty" where it's stated that there's a tendency to criminialize poverty as such through a variety of measures (like that one above).
Since clearly certain laws either only apply to poor people or only poor people can be made accountable (because they aren't able to defend themselves in this legal system).
It's basically just the "small" government mentality and its consequences (and bigger military or punitive government).

[southernmissfan]

"Vagrancy" measures such as this have been on the books throughout the states for at least several decades, though I suspect longer. It's typically been used as an excuse to lock up/fine the homeless, minorities and "long hairs" or any other "undesirables". Hell, look at the first Rambo movie.

[PhoenixAsh]

Wait wait wait...people who have no money and are living on the streets....and you're...going to fine them?

Does this seem bass-ackwards to anyone else?


No...unfortunately this is pretty logical.

They can not pay the fines...they wil eventually be sentenced and put in the privatised jail system which gets a whole new influx of inmates who can further be exploited. This serves at least two purposes 1). reduce the number of free wandering poor people who are ellegible for welfare 2). cheap labour.

Jails are the new form of slavery and "social clean up" is the new justification to sell it to the public.

[Stand Your Ground]

No...unfortunately this is pretty logical.

They can not pay the fines...they wil eventually be sentenced and put in the privatised jail system which gets a whole new influx of inmates who can further be exploited. This serves at least two purposes 1). reduce the number of free wandering poor people who are ellegible for welfare 2). cheap labour.

Jails are the new form of slavery and "social clean up" is the new justification to sell it to the public.
That's the sad fucking truth right there. Welcome to America.

[Ocean Seal]

Is it just me or is neoliberalism taking too many lessons from feudalism. Have a cheap workbase (prisoners), don't pay them anything, and hope that no one protests out of a mislead sense of the justice of the law.

I say insubordinate. Openly, and resist arrest. Let everyone with a drop of human decency lie down in the streets, and let them fill the jails.

ieBEEmhauWY

[Pretty Flaco]

They should just make poor houses. Those worked really well for Britain!

[Son of the Manifesto]

Is it just me or is neoliberalism taking too many lessons from feudalism. Have a cheap workbase (prisoners), don't pay them anything, and hope that no one protests out of a mislead sense of the justice of the law.

I say insubordinate. Openly, and resist arrest. Let everyone with a drop of human decency lie down in the streets, and let them fill the jails.

ieBEEmhauWY


Here, here. This is just another example of the kinds of laws that have been on the books/off the books of every western power in history. My perspective is a Canadian one, so my knowledge is a bit provincial, but bear with me.

Up until the middle of the 20th century, Canada had a residency requirement of one year before one could vote in a federal election. The government of the time was honest enough to say quite openly that this law was specifically to keep "undesirables" (seasonal transient labourers) from voting. This new law is continuing our modern trend of lying to masses about how truly evil our system is and can be.

I say, let the protests begin. If the state cannot be bothered to actually provide aid to those in need, let's create an untenable situation for them. Show them that the electorate won't stand being treated like this.

[Amphictyonis]

San Fransisco is an ass backwards city. Supposedly an epicenter of 'leftist' politics but in reality always seems to expose itself as an island of petty bourgeois liberals. I had to move out of SF because of these people- gentrification is no joke in San Fransisco, one reason there's so many homeless. Basically what has happened is thousands and thousands of people have moved to San Fransisco from suburbs across America and they along with landlords have made rent skyrocket. Along with the well to do upper middle class youth who seem to be attracted to the city are young h9meless kids who hang out on Haight and Market streets panhandeling for change- many of them would probably have apartments if they weren't 1000 to 1500 dollars a month (studio/one bedroom). I lived in San Fransisco for ten years and had to move during/after the .com bubble. First from the Mission to the Tenderloin then out of the city all together. More jobs, better rent control and drug/alcohol treatment centers would go a long way. Another problem is it's a destination for people from all over the world and the tourist economy 'demands' the streets be cleaned up...that adds to SF's conservative policies.