Heartless: A homeless encampment under the Julia Tuttle Causeway in Florida became a national and international news story nearly a decade ago. The camp formed because banishment laws had pushed individuals on the sex offense registry into homelessness. More politely known as “residency restrictions,” such laws do nothing to improve public safety while creating a human rights mess. Forced to relocate over the years, once again authorities are demanding that homeless registrants move. Where? There’s “almost nowhere to go.” Arrests are threatened. Will this awfulness ever stop? Solidarity to those fighting to survive on the streets, their allies at Florida Action Committee, legal eagles Val Jonas, and Jeffrey Hearne of Legal Services. The Intercept’s Zaid Jilani has a detailed report, and the Miami Herald has an update – a last minute reprieve. Have a look. –Bill Dobbs, The Dobbs Wire info@thedobbswire.com
