Kevin: They Are Passing the Buck

Auckland Central MP Chloë Swarbrick says moving rough sleepers out of the city centre will only shift the problem to another place.

And?

 

Central government and Auckland Council are considering how they can move homeless people out of the CBD ahead of summer.

 

Details are scarce but ministers have expressed support for a member’s bill that would give police the power to remove people from public spaces for being a nuisance.

[…] Auckland mayor Wayne Brown hasn’t ruled out changing city by-laws either, saying the council wanted to “address immediate concerns” about central city safety.

If buskers can be banned from the CBD, how hard can it be to ban the so-called ‘homeless’? Jesus wept.

 

[…] The head of Auckland’s central business association Heart of the City, Viv Beck, has been meeting with ministers and the city council about worsening homelessness and anti-social behaviour.

She told Morning Report urgent action was needed, and homelessness should not be criminalised, but there should be rules against sleeping on the street.

“There is going to need to be something that says, okay these sorts of behaviours are okay in a significant area like this, these sorts of behaviours aren’t.

“We’re of the view that lying and sleeping is not something that is actually something you want to really see on your streets.”

Exactly.

 

[…] Swarbrick said rough sleeping had grown as a direct result of the coalition’s housing policies, specifically the emergency housing qualification that required applicants to prove they didn’t contribute to their own lack of housing.

Here we go.

 

“They have intentionally chosen to make more people homeless. We are left with a situation where many of my constituents in the city centre, and particularly a number of city centre businesses, have noticed that fact.”

Swarbrick said moving homeless people out of the city centre would only shift the problem.

[…] Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson said she understood there would be a greater police presence in the city centre before Christmas.

[..] “People who are rough sleeping are human beings, and any kind of enforcement approach is not only not good, but it’s also ineffective,” she said.

Evidence says otherwise.

[…] Meredith Connell partner and local government expert David Collins said councils were able to introduce new by-laws under the Local Government Act.

“That can regulate anything required to protect the public from nuisance or to protect, promote and maintain public health and safety or minimise the potential for offensive behavior in public places.

“[…] Councils have put in place by laws that prevent people from consuming mind-altering substances in public, or having alcohol, open bottles and things like that, in a public place, or littering, setting up tents and other temporary accommodations in a public location.”

As I said above, if they can ban buskers from the CBD they can ban the so-called ‘homeless’.

 

Homelessness and rough sleeping were not criminal offences, police’s Auckland City District Commander said.

“While it is a long-standing issue in the community, it is not something for police to address,” Superintendent Sunny Patel said in a statement.

Actually it is. Along with the government, the Auckland Council, Chloë and others seem to be busy passing the buck rather than trying to solve the problem.

You may have noticed that I’ve put ‘homeless’ in quotes. That’s because for most who, for no fault of their own, find themselves homeless, it’s only temporary – a few months at the most.

When you keep seeing the same faces, it’s a lifestyle choice. In fact, to avoid confusion, let’s call them ‘bums’.

Some of you may say I’m being heartless but here’s the thing. Open drug use causes crime. Drunkenness results in more crime. Begging results in more crime. These bums cause businesses to lose money. They prevent tourists from coming in the CBD and spending up.

And the only reason they choose to be in the CBD is because that’s where the money is.

It’s like Trump said: when you see a dirty door in front of a restaurant you know not to go in.

Source: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/577960/calm-down-auckland-central-mp-chloe-swarbrick-on-coalition-s-homeless-plan

Kevin is a Libertarian and pragmatic anarchist. His favourite saying: “There but for the grace of God go I.” This article was first published HERE