CLEARWATER BEACH FLORIDA: COPS CRACK DOWN ON CRIME BY OUTLAWING  'SITTING'

The sitting ban is among a flurry of new ordinances the City Council will consider Monday as part of its crackdown on the horrific crime of homelessness. The sitting ban is one of the most extreme proposals in a city already known for welding shut public bathrooms, turning off access to water in public areas and discouraging donations to a long-running soup kitchen. Another ordinance the City Council will consider Monday would make an entire list of minor parks offenses punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both. That would include feeding wild animals like ducks or squirrels, tying a dog to a tree, playing horseshoes outside a designated area or sitting on "any structure not intended for such use." The city's crackdown is meant to sweep out the homeless in advance of the Republican National Convention, City Manager Horne said arresting more people is not the city's intent. Public defender Bob Dillinger said, these "overreacting" laws represent a "classic criminalization of homelessness … the most expensive way to address homeless issues and the least effective." Florida law mandates that the city must make arrangements for lawyers to represent those arrested on ordinance violations. "You solve the problem by offering shelter and services," Dillinger said. "You don't solve the homeless problem by arresting people."
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