Even after living in Oregon, off and on, for 30 years, I still tend to drive through a few towns there without looking right or left. One of these is Grants Pass, which has, as the Oregon Encyclopedia delicately puts it,
a troubled social history, with outbreaks of religious intolerance and white supremacist activity. The Ku Klux Klan was active throughout Oregon in the 1920s, with an estimated Grants Pass membership in the hundreds. The Klan had a short-lived resurgence in Grants Pass in the 1980s and 1990s, and the area was targeted for an Aryan Nationsā organizing drive, canceled after an anti-racism protest in the city drew 1,500 marchers in 1995. Militia activity spilled over into Grants Pass as well, most recently involving demonstrations by the Oath Keepers group.
Whatever its image may be, the city in 2024 bids fair to become the nationwide face of non-hospitality. Today, it will come before the Supreme Court to defend an āanti-campingā law designed (in the words of one of its sponsors) āto make it uncomfortable enough for [homeless people] in our city so they will want to move on down the road.ā
If discomfort was their aim, the āanti-campingā ordinancesā authors achieved it. It is currently unlawful in Grants Pass to be anywhere in public with ābedding, sleeping bag, or other material used for bedding.ā āCampersā donāt need to erect tents or shelters; merely holding a blanket violates the law. There can be no sleeping in public parks or other public property, and cars cannot be parked for more than two hours in public parks after midnight. No one can sleep in āany pedestrian or vehicular entrance to public or private property abutting a public sidewalk.ā Anyone found ācampingā or sleeping can be āimmediately removedā from the premises and subject to a fine of $75 (for merely sleeping) or $295 (for ācampingā). These fines are bolstered by hefty ācollection feesā if not paid promptly. Though the fines are ācivil,ā a homeless person with two unpaid fines may be subject to an āexclusion orderāāand may be fined and jailed for violating that order.
Homeless people in Grants Pass might try to find somewhere to shelter legally on a chilly night, but that quest is problematic. The city doesnāt maintain public shelters; it has a āsobering centerā where intoxicated people can sober up, a temporary shelter for homeless youths, and a āwarming centerā that operates only on nights that fall below freezing (and doesnāt feature beds). Meanwhile, a church-supported āGospel Rescue Missionā allows homeless individuals to stayāif they agree to work six days a week at shelter-assigned jobs, not to seek other employment while staying there, and not to smoke, drink, or engage in āintimate relationships.ā Women may stay at the Mission with their children; men may not bring their children with them. Residents must also attend Christian services twice each weekday and once on Sunday.
First I like how you are trying to shade people about not being able to work hard, Iāve known homeless folks who work their asses off but canāt get ahead, canāt get approved for a place to live. Also they canāt get hired because of their mental illness, which Reagan helped put millions of those folks out on the streets, raising crime rates, so howās that for results? Then you have the millions of hard working addicts living life on pain killers because our healthcare is fān joke, howās that for results when the rest of the world has universal healthcare? Education system is completely unaffordable so you have people going homeless over their broken college dreams and/or their crushing student debt, yet hey the answer to education is voucher programs and only rich kids get to go to college, howās that for results?
Secondly how about we tax the rich? Thatās where I expect the money to come from, we used to have a 50% tax on the wealthy, and it helped create our education system, library system, highway system, yet again Republicans constantly want to lower taxes on literal billionaires, eventually trillionaires, because when the fuck do you have enough money? Bernie Sanders said billionaires shouldnāt exist, they should be able to get to $999,999,999.99 and get a plaque that says they win capitalism, ans I whole heartedly agree with that statement. Oh and it gets even worse for your beloved Republicans where Trumpās tax plan that he put in place during his administration financed giving the wealthy their tax cuts, by increasing taxes on the lower and middle classes for the next four years, we are currently in year four, how about that for results bud?
Iāve worked hard since I was twelve years old, ran a whole kitchen including dish duty at thirteen, I served this country as Marine, and I am currently upper middle class, yet I donāt begrudge these people help, because Iām not a selfish fuckhead, but also the way I see it is we can provide healthcare, food, housing to our military, we should be able to do the same for those that we are supposed to be protecting, and do protect, especially during natural disasters.
You my friend and all of your selfish libertarian/Republican dipshits can go fuck yourselves, and doubly so if youāre a MAGA cultist.