On August 4th, several Athens community members attended the Mayor and Commission meeting to speak against an ordinance that prohibits individuals from interfering with foot traffic in or out of any private or public area and also prohibits camping in public areas.
WUGA reporter Havivah Saltz was in attendance and spoke to Malcolm Howard about why he was choosing to speak at the meeting.
“I’m just gonna try to point out the reasons why they should try to solve the issue instead of trying to push it to another county, or try to get rid of people who have been displaced," said Howard, "A lot of us don’t want to be homeless, because like me I’m without a home and I don’t choose to want to do this. It’s just a matter of circumstance, and you never know - People could be in a situation tomorrow, today, maybe one check away. Living is harder now than anything else.”
Previous mayoral candidate Tim Denson also spoke that night against the ordinance, saying that it criminalizes homelessness.
Mayor-elect Dexter Fisher, representing District 5, voted in favor of the measure, expressing concern for the business community.
"A lot of us live in neighborhoods or in communities," he said, "Would we want the same type of camping going on in our own community? And the answer will probably be no because you end up calling the police. So, why should we expect our business owners to accept [when this happens to them]?"
Before the conclusion of the meeting, the Mayor and Commission voted 6-4 against the ordinance, which resulted in applause from the community in attendance. Those commissioners who voted in favor of the ordinance include Fisher, Allison Wright of District 4, John Culpeper of District 7, and Mike Hamby of District 10.
