Police Oppose Criminalizing Homelessness In Columbia, South Carolina: 'I Can't Do That. I Won't Do That'

In a unanimous vote on Aug. 13, council members in Columbia, South Carolina decided that homeless people would no longer be allowed to loiter, sleep or eat on the area’s Downtown streets and would have the choice to either go to a remote shelter, or get arrested, an extreme plan that would require designated police officers to carry out. But the police chief and city manager are pushing back against the measure and are saying that they never agreed to the terms of the report, according to The State.

“Homelessness is not a crime,” Interim Police Chief Ruben Santiago told The State. “I’ve got to have the legal right (to question or take anyone into custody). We can’t just take people to somewhere they don’t want to go. I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/27/criminalizing-homelessnes-columbia-south-carolina_n_3825052.html