Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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8 UCW MAY 11 - MAY 17, 2022, 2022 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NEWS e Fayetteville City Council on Monday, May 2, unanimously but cautiously accepted a staff proposal establishing an ordinance that would substantially curb home- less encampments throughout Fayetteville. e proposed ordinance would allow the city to remove "tent city" encampments occupied by home- less individuals if deemed a danger to the public or the homeless occu- pants. e encampments could be on public or private property. Assistant City Attorney Lisa Harp- er said the ordinance would allow camping on private property if the owner consented. It would regulate how long such encampments could remain on that property. Some council members ex- pressed concern about the pro- posed ordinance when staff could not specifically identify places to house or shelter homeless people once they were removed from their encampments. Brook Redding, assistant to the city manager and one of the pre- senters, continuously emphasized that the city would not close down an encampment if beds or other shelters were not available to those being affected by the ordinance. Harper emphasized that shutting down an encampment would not be legal if there were no alternative means to shelter the homeless. "If no beds were available, it would be a Constitutional viola- tion," she said. Harper also sug- gested the council could limit the ordinance. Despite the assurances, council- member Shakeyla Ingram continu- ously asked where the homeless would go after an encampment was shut down. She also said many of the homeless suffer from mental health issues, and she feared that removing them from their encamp- ment would trigger them. She also asked why the military was not involved in the discussion since many of the homeless are veterans. Ingram's concern resonated throughout the council. Council members Larry Wright and D.J. Haire echoed Ingram's concerns. "Where they go (after being evict- ed) will not be answered tonight," Haire said. "Let's not make this an issue of not caring," Mayor Mitch Colvin said at one point. He contended that those sleeping in the rights- of-way are in danger from nearby traffic and the city needed to take action. Among the major findings by the task force is that the city needs a policy that regulates homeless campsites on public and private property, and in vehicles. Councilmember Johnny Dawkins, a Republican, took the opportunity to criticize Gov. Roy Cooper's administration for not allowing the city to remove home- less encampments on state-owned highway rights-of-way within the city. "I want the public to under- stand. I get complaints every single week. It's becoming a real issue for businesses. e governor and the NCDoT will not let us do anything about it," Dawkins said. City Manager Doug Hewett said the city has agreements with the state to cut vegetation and remove debris on some NCDoT rights-of- way. Keeping them maintained would help the appearance of those areas where the homeless tend to congregate. In summary, the Task Force rec- ommends: •Adopt an ordinance that ad- dresses: camping on public prop- erty, camping on private property and is enforceable and within legal limits. •Adopt a city policy that provides a standardized procedure that gov- erns the cleanup of public property used for temporary shelters. •Establish an agreement with NC DoT providing shared jurisdiction of rights-of-way in the city. •Establish an "Impact Reduction Program" that provides a protocol when the city engages a homeless and "unsheltered" individual in the city. e report recommended that council either accept the report and direct staff to bring a draft ordinance forward for adoption at a future council meeting, or to accept the report and direct staff to bring back alternative ordinance recom- mendations. Councilmember Courtney Banks-McLaughlin motioned to ac- cept the report and asked the staff to bring back options that address the question of where homeless individuals would go after vacating an encampment. Councilmember Dawkins seconded the motion. e proposal with alternative or- dinance proposals will come before city council at a subsequent meet- ing where councilmembers can review the changes before officially adopting them. Council considers ordinance on homeless camps by JASON BRADY JASON BRADY, Staff Writer COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com 910-484-6200. Fayetteville City Council voted May 2 to accept a staff proposal to establish an ordinance that could help curb homeless encampments throughout the city. Council directed staff to present options at a subsequent Council meeting. (Photo by Jimmy Jones) Christian music station local your