Tales of Dumbassery – Not Having A Home May Be Illegal In Miami Soon (AKA WTFIWWY?)

Well, get that bottle of booze ready to kill off those suffering brain cells, because it’s time to open up…

No, y’know what? Screw that noise, this is Florida, and I know damned well that Nash and Tara will be talking about it on Monday (or at least I hope they will), so I’m just gonna drop all pretenses for this article. Hit it!

Earlier today, DorkynProudOfIt went out on the World Wide Interwebs, found a horrible story, and brought it all back here for a little segment that Nash likes to call…

So let’s just get to the meat of the matter, and I quote (ran out of good photos of Michael Cole), “Being poor could soon be a crime in the city of Miami. As though life weren’t already difficult enough for people who can’t afford regular housing, they could soon find themselves thrown in jail and their possessions confiscated if they’re caught engaging in certain everyday activities in public.” Oh, where do I fucking start, Florida?!

Well, I should probably note that this is actually not the first time Miami would’ve done this, as they did so for a while in the late 1990’s. They stopped in 1998 when a program was instituted where police would instead offer food and shelter. And before you even mention it, there IS a difference between that and prison, as in prison, you find yourself in close quarters with CRIMINALS! However, as this article goes on, “Despite the program’s success, one Miami City Commissioner wants to back out of the deal and resume arresting homeless people for living on the streets. Marc Sarnoff wants the city to renege on its 1998 agreement and resume arresting homeless people. Specifically, Sarnoff and his allies on the City Commission have hired a law firm to try to modify the agreement so police can arrest anyone who blocks a sidewalk, cooks a meal in a public area using a fire, litters, urinates or defecates in public, or engages in lewd conduct, rather than offering those folks a bed to sleep.”

Oh, but wait dear friends, it gets better. “Sarnoff argues that homeless people in the downtown business district are a ‘chronic problem.’ Indeed, as the Miami Herald points out, ‘Most local shelters are at capacity, meaning police can do little to punish the homeless who urinate in the street or light cooking fires in public parks.’ Instead of vying for more funding to support the hundreds of homeless people who reside in Miami, Sarnoff’s solution is to jail them for living on the streets.” So in other words, he COULD try to get additional funding, but pfft, fuck that, he’s just gonna lock ’em up with Stabby Joe and Rapist Ralph. Thanks, Mister Sarnoff!

…Y’know, when stories like this pop up, people in Florida are quick to suggest we think everybody in that state is a freak of some sort. No, I don’t think that. I think there are plenty of nice, wonderful people living in Florida. I just wonder WHY. Why do sane people continue to live there or go there for vacations when this crap goes on down there? Why can’t we just have all the sane members of society that live there move away and do THIS?

Seriously, you know we as a race have gone completely mad when Bugs fucking Bunny has the sane plan. Anyway, leave your comments below, and I shall see you the next time something insane like this happens. Ja né!

Related articles

• Miami may outlaw homelessness (deathandtaxesmag.com)
• Miami considers JAILING homeless people for sleeping or eating in public places (dailymail.co.uk)
• Miami considers JAILING homeless people for sleeping or eating in public places (sott.net)
• Miami May Just Throw Homeless People in Jail (alternet.org)
• Miami Considers Jailing Homeless People For Eating, Sleeping In Public (thinkprogress.org.feedsportal.com)