Nevada City, California will provide an appallingly small number of permits to the homeless if they subject themselves to a police background check. Even if they have done nothing illegal the small number of permits gives police an iron fist to deal with anyone having the audacity to want to sleep while living in abject poverty. Why is it my right to not be investigated by the police capriciously falls away as soon as my life falls apart enough to be sleeping outside again?
A new law would give Nevada City the power to hand out permits to a small group of homeless, which would give them permission to sleep in public. While the new ordinance would give some homeless a place to stay, it would tell others, mostly the troublemakers and the criminals, to stay away.
So people that have been convicted of a crime and have been released because they have paid their debt to society will be discriminated against. Of course with our Jim Crow policing this part of the permit process will adversely impact POC. Just as the Jim Crow Laws intended.
For now, the police chief will give out about six to 10 permits. He’ll check back in six months to see if the program is working. If it is, that’s when he says he’ll give out more.
That is right only ten people will be allowed to be homeless in a place as large as Nevada City. A place large enough to be the home of many more.
City Hall, 317 Broad Street, Nevada City, California 95959TEL: (530) 265-2496 . FAX: (530) 265-0187HOURS: Mon-Thurs, 8am to Noon, and 1-5pm