Mayor Turner pushes bum-control in Houston

Robert Pratt photo Copyright Pratt on Texas

Robert Pratt

Houston’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, has had enough with bums and no doubt some liberals will raise hell over the city’s plans to crackdown on bums and panhandling.

Mayor Turner says the current homeless situation is “simply not acceptable” and is calling for a comprehensive change, according to the Texas Scorecard.

“The new plan will include a strict anti-encampment ordinance, which will make it illegal for people to erect and sleep in tents and other makeshift shelters on public property. The homeless encampments, besides being unsanitary health hazards, are also hotbeds for criminal activity.

image: Sylvester Turner

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner

“The city has been conducting weekly clean ups of encampments and garbage left by the homeless population, however, the new ordinance broadens the scope of current city ordinances in attempt to curb the situation. The city will give current encampment denizens a 30-day transition period in which HPD will work to assimilate them into public housing alternatives.

“The Texas Department of Transportation will also be placing “no camping” signs at underpasses at the behest of Turner, who says he got the idea after he saw similar signs in place at Mexico City,” according to Reagan Reed writing for the Texas Scorecard.

Panhandling bums will be targeted with an ordinance which prohibits obstructing streets and sidewalks and Houston will run a media campaign aimed at getting people to stop handing money over to the bums.

Along with it all the city is working with others to find housing solutions for the truly homeless.

Turner is a Democrat but this effort at law and order demonstrates why he was held in relatively high esteem in Texas House for many years. I wish Houston great success in its bum-control.

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