Mariantonia Mejia | Staff Writer
The growing issue of homelessness is one that the United States, and Florida especially, is all too familiar with.
With the cost of living skyrocketing, it’s no wonder that the homeless population is at a record-breaking high, and our local government seems hell-bent on aggravating the situation rather than helping.
On Sept. 13, a “no-camping” ordinance in Miami Beach passed an initial discussion with a 4-3 vote. The law, part of an anti-homeless initiative, states that a police officer may arrest an unhoused person if they refuse shelter.
The line of carceral thinking that leads to the criminalization of homelessness is, without a doubt, evil.
The reasons why unhoused people refuse shelter are simple. Many people living on the streets fear homeless shelters because of the lack of oversight, are afraid of losing their pets due to a no-pet rule, may be struggling with addiction and unable to comply with the drug policy, or simply don’t want to separate from the other unhoused people they have formed bonds with.
The new ordinance is a poor excuse to harass and violate the rights of the homeless population, something that has garnered bipartisan support.
Due to the difficulties with finding a job after incarceration, sticking homeless people with a criminal record is counterproductive and actively contributes toward keeping them on the street.
Most egregiously, Miami’s infrastructure can be improved in a way that creates lasting effects and helps lower the homeless population. But tellingly, Florida’s government focuses on very few of them.
One example is the 1% homeless and domestic violence tax established in Miami-Dade County in 1993. 85% of the tax collected goes toward the Homeless Trust, which helps with emergency housing and other services.
Unsurprisingly, Miami Beach, Bal Habor, and Surfside – the wealthiest areas of Miami – are excluded from the tax. Punishment seems to be their only answer. And it is nothing short of pathetic.
Miami ranks second in the most expensive cities for renters in the entire US. A study performed in 2022 revealed that Florida has nearly 1.7 million homes that sit empty.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the biggest obstacles to overcoming homelessness.
We do not suffer from a lack of housing but a lack of care for our community. A collective individualism-focused, capitalism-caused brain-rot that convinces us that housing is not a basic human right but a privilege.
At the risk of some capitalist pearl-clutching, housing the unhoused is the first step toward ending homelessness entirely.
Even if your only motivation is money-related, it’s also financially irresponsible to waste taxpayer dollars on funding a higher police presence in these areas when many other infrastructure-related issues require financial assistance.
Not to mention, this ordinance distracts law enforcement from actual criminal activity. However, again, it is telling that the Miami Beach Police Department is eager to do anything but their jobs.
Serve and protect has never meant less than it does right now.
It is deeply disgusting that this country has created a society where homelessness is inevitable. And when it happens, we incarcerate people for something we caused.
Homelessness is not a crime.
If your desire for a society equates our most vulnerable with your ability to collect capital, it’s worth asking yourself what you’re fighting for.
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