Kentucky GOP’s New Bill Decriminalizes Use of Deadly Force Against the Unhoused
Kentucky GOP’s New Bill Decriminalizes Use of Deadly Force Against the Unhoused
“I’m just ashamed that this bill even came into fruition,” a Lexington council member said.
cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/news@lemmy.world/t/778012
“I’m just ashamed that this bill even came into fruition,” a Lexington council member said.
The important parts of the bill:
STARTING CONCENTRATION CAMPS FOR HOMELESS POPULATIONS:
SECTION 19. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 65 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:
A local government may designate indoor or outdoor areas with defined boundaries in an area zoned for commercial or industrial use, separate from any area frequently used for public purposes, as a temporary camping location for unsheltered homeless individuals. Any such designated area shall contain potable water and adequate sanitary facilities, such as portable toilets. Any individual utilizing the designated area for a permissible purpose shall not be in violation of Section 17 of this Act.
Notice how there's no provision stating the concentration camps have to have any resources to help homeless people overcome drug addiction or any provisions banning the use of drugs or alcohol by homeless people. But, earlier in the bill, they outright ban anyone from giving housing to homeless people without it:
SECTION 18. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 198A IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:
(1) Notwithstanding any statute, administrative regulation, or common law to the contrary, appropriations from the general fund, any restricted fund, the road fund, or any federal funds shall not be expended by any state or local officer, official, employee, or agency for any initiatives to provide permanent housing to homeless individuals if those initiatives lack behavioral and rehabilitative requirements. Behavioral and rehabilitative requirements shall at a minimum include requirements that individuals utilizing such initiatives cease or refrain from the illicit use of controlled substances and excessive use of alcohol, consent to treatment of any mental health conditions, and refrain from any criminal activity.
Meaning no one will be allowed to provide a meaningful legal alternative to the camps.
And showing that the drug/alcohol issue is just an excuse to deny homeless people real help, and to imprison them.
Obvious concentration camps are obvious.
I've seen tent cities like that on my travels before. They're horrific. They WILL make you cry looking at them. They are extremely dangerous for homeless people and they WILL be raped, trafficked, and killed if this bill is passed.
LEGALIZING SHOOTING HOMELESS PEOPLE FOR CAMPING ON PROPERTY:
UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 128 Page 16 of 72 XXXX 1/3/2024 11:44 AM Jacketed Section 21. KRS 503.080 is amended to read as follows:
(1) The use of physical force by a defendant upon another person is justifiable when the defendant believes that such force is immediately necessary to prevent:
(a) The commission of criminal trespass, robbery, burglary, or other felony involving the use of force, or under those circumstances permitted pursuant to KRS 503.055, in a dwelling, building or upon real property in his or her possession or in the possession of another person for whose protection he or she acts;[ or]
(b) Theft, criminal mischief, or any trespassory taking of tangible, movable property in his or her possession or in the possession of another person for whose protection he or she acts; or
( c ) The commission of unlawful camping in violation of Section 17 of this Act, when the offense is occurring on property owned or leased by the defendant, the individual engaged in unlawful camping has been told to cease, and the individual committing the offense has used force or threatened to use force against the defendant.
The latter part about threatening to use force will simply be lied about to justify murdering homeless people.
💡Let's campaign the lawmakers responsible and convince them to stop.
Jesus... Kentucky sounding more and more like Detroit from RoboCop ('87 not '14). If the law passes, how many milliseconds do you think it'll be before people are getting off scot free after shooting their black neighbor for looking homeless and stepping on the corner of their lawn?
I traveled through Kentucky before and I guarantee you this is a reaction to the drug crisis that hit the Bible Belt. The major cities have tons of homeless people who sleep in the parks and downtown areas. They do day labor, and are good people if you get to know them. They aren't causing trouble at all; the housed people just don't want them around because they're perceived as an eyesore.
So the fascists' response is to start what is essentially genocide. This is one of the things they've fantasized about doing for a long time; they want clean, empty streets and it never occurred to them that the only effective way to do that is to simply house all the homeless people. And it never occurred to them to try that because they don't perceive homeless people as members of the community; they at best see them as violent, crazy threats to their safety, at worst as not even human, just a disgusting pile of filth, and so the only solution they considered or even want is to simply force them out of sight.
They don't get that doing that won't make homeless people go away, unless every single person is murdered, and guess what they want to do?
Remember how stand your ground was used to murder Trayvon Martin?
Awesome! Now ask of those unhoused state legislators can be taken care of!
