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.
The article says:
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.
The law says:
Not mentioning that force is not authorized unless the person camping unlawfully has either used force or threatened to use force already is a glaring omission.