Fuelled by complaints about teen vagrants in San Fran's historic Haight-Ashbury district, the city has passed and began enforcing a new measure, dubbed the "Sit/Lie" law.
Image via CBS
Despite having been declared unconstitutional in 2004, the ordinance now prohibits anyone from sitting or lying on sidewalks between 7am and 9pm.
It doesn't stop there, though; Sit/Lie also prohibits dog owners from allowing their dogs' necks to be more than 2 feet from them – less than the length of most leashes.
Image via sfcitizen.com
Also illegal will be keeping possessions beyond your immediate reach.
A member of the local Neighborhood Association had this to say:
- "This is aimed at people who are disrespectful, aggressive and go way beyond the general norms of civility by blocking the public spaces that belong to everyone and should be able to be used by everyone."
Still, many Haight-Ashbury business owners disagree with law. The owner of a local bookstore had this to say:
- "The fact that it’s made to be this public safety crisis … elected officials, the mayor, the chief of police – they’ve come out and they’ve used words like the 'street thug' and 'gutter punk' and people taking over the streets. And they’re portraying this image of a crisis, where I don’t see the crisis."
You're in the clear if you're a disabled person in a wheelchair or a child in a stroller but for everyone else, fines can reach up to $500.
If consistently enforced, the cost to the city could be significantly higher – up to several million dollars each month. Three offenses leads to an arrest, each of which can cost taxpayers nearly $4,000.
A spokesperson for the Sherriff's Department pointed out that the cost of arresting someone "is the same to us if the person was booked on a murder charge or a sit-lie violation."
One police captain told reporters:
- "I'd rather have my officers focused on more serious crimes, but it's a valid law that has to be enforced."
Police will be asked to direct people to places that can help before writing citations, but a coordinator from Homeless Youth Alliance says that lately they've spent more time helping youth take care of fines than accessing homeless services.
What do you think about the new law? Take the poll below, then leave a comment to share your thoughts.
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