Oklahoma Anti-Camping Law Could Lead to Tent Cities
The next step in the state’s effort to outlaw homelessness could be tent cities.
Oklahoma’s anti-camping law, a diluted version of model legislation from conservative Texas think tank the Cicero Institute, is not only at odds with local efforts to house people experiencing homelessness, it could also lead to forced homeless encampments.
The Oklahoma law, from Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, and Rep. Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City, makes it a misdemeanor to camp on state land punishable by a fine of up to $50 and as many as 15 days in jail if someone refuses to move or to be taken to a service provider.
Criminalizing homelessness, opponents said, only makes matters worse. Those convicted of the charge have the $50 to pay the fine, which could lead to more charges, and filling jails with people who have done nothing more than pitch a tent in which to sleep compounds an existing overcrowding problem.
As Heather Warlick reported, other states that have adopted versions of the Cicero model have carried it further, requiring people without a home to setup in encampments.
Cicero argues that’s better for all concerned because it’s easier to provide services from healthcare to security. Opponents invoke visions of World War II era Japanese internment camps.
More to the point in Oklahoma, the Cicero encampment idea operates in direct opposition to Oklahoma City and Tulsa’s efforts to move people into permanent homes under a plan known as Housing First, which Cicero calls a failed experiment.
There’s a chance the U.S. Supreme Court will make short work of the debate; they’re expected to rule soon on a case from Grants Pass, Oregon, that could find outlawing camping is unconstitutional when there aren’t enough shelter beds available.
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A fireworks factory near Hallett exploded on this day in 1985, killing 21.
Ciao for now,
Ted Streuli
Executive Director, Oklahoma Watch
tstreuli@oklahomawatch.org
