More than 200 people packed into a Fremont city council meeting Tuesday as leaders voted to make it a crime to help homeless people by providing them with food, clothing, or other assistance.

The law criminalizes being outside with “camping paraphernalia,” like sleeping bags or cookware, without written permission from property owners or the city. It includes a provision that anyone “causing, permitting, aiding, abetting or concealing” violations is subject to up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

“[The mayor] claims no service providers will get arrested, but ultimately, the law prevails,” said Vivian Han, CEO of the nonprofit Abode Services. “This is for all time, not just while he’s mayor.”

Greg Ward, a minister at Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation, said his church hands out “blessing bags” of food and clothing.

“Putting [them] in the hands of the unhoused could be aiding and abetting,” said Ward. “That could make us criminals.”

  • protistEnglish
    8·
    9 hours ago

    Many of the homeless are far from harmless

    People who are houses are pretty much the same level of safety threat to the community. People in cars are a significantly worse safety threat to the community.