WPBN: In the months since the Safer Kentucky Act went into effect, Louisville has issued dozens of citations for illegal camping; however, officials say no other projects are in the works to provide more legally safe spaces for the city’s homeless population, aside from a campus that won’t be fully operational until 2027.
The statute, officially known as House Bill 5, established stringent new standards for crime in Kentucky on July 15. One of these categories was “unlawful camping,” which is defined as sleeping on public or private land, such as parks or under highway overpasses, while carrying camping-like gear.
According to data, since the law’s adoption through November 20, more than 40 citations had been issued in Louisville and its suburbs, the most of which were in the Central Business District in the downtown part of the city.
Advocates for the homeless claim that HB 5 has contributed to further stigmatizing a group that is already facing hardships, despite Republican lawmakers who helped approve the bill saying it benefits the community.
According to some social workers who spoke to The Courier Journal, people they assist who have been cited are unable to pay the associated fines or have the financial resources to appear in court, which unjustly results in jail time.
Citations are high in the region because of “a majority of the unhoused population within our district,” according to Louisville Metro Council member Jecorey Arthur, who is in charge of the Central Business District. However, Arthur emphasized that the district should be a common environment for all inhabitants.
“It should be everyone’s Central Business District, it should be everyone’s downtown,” Arthur stated. “Because people are seeking resources … they go to where their needs can be met, and in some cases, that’s downtown Louisville.”
Advocates and the city disagree on enforcement
In January 2023, there were around 4,800 homeless people in the commonwealth, according to data from the Kentucky Housing Corporation. In a January count, there were just under 600 homeless people in Louisville, and 1,133 more were in emergency shelters.
Louisville Metro Police issued 44 citations through Nov. 20 for breaches of “unlawful camping” under HB 5, which accounted for the majority of citations in the metro area, according to records obtained by The Courier Journal. One was also released by the Shively Police Department.
Records reveal that one officer, Downtown Patrol Commander Caleb Stewart of the department’s First Division, issued more than half of the citations in Louisville.
Former LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel suspended Stewart for 20 days in May for violating multiple procedures in connection with an incident in which an officer under his command used excessive force on an unhoused individual who was allegedly loitering in a hotel lobby.
The downtown patrol mostly oversees camping regulations and collaborates with Metro Government partners such as the Homeless Services Team prior to issuing tickets, according to LMPD Deputy Chief Emily McKinley.
According to court documents, several people detained under the legislation “were charged with other crimes,” such as trespassing, evading police, refusing to give identity to officers, and having outstanding warrants, according to Kevin Trager, Mayor Craig Greenberg’s press secretary.
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“We are committed to enforcing the laws passed by the general assembly, including House Bill 5,” Trager stated. “We are also working to ensure people experiencing homelessness have more options for emergency shelter, mental health and addiction treatment and stable housing.”
