In Kentucky, politicians are preparing to vote on a law that would authorize the use of force against unhoused people who are found to be camping on private property.
Republican politicians in Kentucky are rallying behind a new bill that would authorize the use of forceāand potentially deadly forceāagainst unhoused people who are found to be camping on private property. The bill would also criminalize unsanctioned homeless encampments and restrict cities and towns from preempting state laws.
The bill, known as the āSafer Kentucky Act,ā or HB5, would target homelessness, drug possession and mental illness by drastically increasing criminal penalties for a range of offenses. Introduced last week by Republican state representative Jared Bauman, it already has 52 sponsors in Kentuckyās House of Representatives. A vote is scheduled for this week.
Advocates are most alarmed by one aspect of the āSafer Kentucky Actā in particular: an anti-homeless provision that would authorize violence by property owners on people camping on their property. The bill says the use of force is ājustifiableā if a defendant believes that criminal trespass, robbery or āunlawful campingā is occurring on their property.
Jesus beating up merchants who set up shop outside a temple is canon. We have evidence Jesus has the will and capacity for violence and what he would do in an American state or federal legislative building would probably freak a lot of people out.
He didnāt just flip tables and whip the moneychangers. He was so full of righteous fury that he left, and took hours to braid his own whip, came back, and then started flipping tables and whipping moneychangers.
In my head I like to envision him sitting on a rock, braiding the whip, and muttering to himself. Shit like:
āMother fuckers, I swear to Dad, you donāt even know what Monopoly is yet, and Iām gonna show you the proper ending to the Milton Bradley version of that game.ā
While the Apostles are just huddled around bewildered and scared since they have no clue whatās about to happen, since theyād NEVER seen him even irritated before.