California

California City Makes Homeless Eligible for Arrest If They Refuse 3 Offers of Shelter

One dissenting councilmember worried the initiative would criminalize homelessness.
California City Makes Homeless Eligible for Arrest If They Refuse 3 Offers of Shelter
Tents are set up along a pathway in the Jungle, a homeless encampment in San Jose, Calif., on March 11, 2014. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo
Kimberly Hayek
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The San Jose City Council in Northern California voted June 10 to render homeless individuals, who refuse three offers of shelter, in violation of trespassing laws and able to be arrested.

The council members voted 9–2 in favor of amending the city’s encampment code of conduct with a “responsibility to shelter” provision.
Kimberly Hayek
Kimberly Hayek
Author
Kimberly Hayek is a reporter for The Epoch Times. She covers California news and has worked as an editor and on scene at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2018 migrant caravan crisis.