Berkeley city council moves to deal with downtown loiterers
Last Update: Mar 15, 2007 2:54 PM
BERKELEY (AP) - Berkeley's taking steps toward getting downtown loiterers out of the streets and into counseling and rehab.
Mayor Tom Bates' proposal, called Public Commons for Everyone Initiative, went before city council this week. It calls for more police presence, cleaner streets, and less loitering. The mayor says loiterers often harass people passing by, and sleep on the streets. He says his plan will help businesses downtown.
But some city council members spoke out against the proposal, saying people have a right to hang out without buying anything.
http://www.kget.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=f297fe26-6daa-47ed-af12-97dadf6df5fb----------------------------------------------
‘Commons for Everyone’ Excludes Homeless, Some Charge
By Judith Scherr
Mayor Tom Bates’ proposal to crack down on people engaged in “prolonged sitting” or yelling in public spaces near businesses got Berkeley City Council approval (5-2-1) in concept Tuesday night—and sharp condemnation from the several dozen residents who came to the meeting to demand that the council not criminalize homelessness and drug addiction.
Councilmembers Dona Spring and Kriss Worthington voted against the plan the mayor calls the Public Commons for Everyone Initiative; Council-member Max Anderson abstained.
“The idea is to not penalize any particular group,” Bates said at the meeting. “We need to deal with the social deterioration on our streets.”
http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=03-16-07&storyID=26562