Lawton considering anti-camping ordinance aimed at the homeless

A new ordinance being crafted by the City of Lawton would ban homeless people from camping inside the city limits.

Decisions haven’t been made yet, but City Council members said in July they wanted city staff to finish drafting the new law, then bring it to the council floor after the document has been presented to the Homeless Action Committee for discussion. That discussion will occur today, when the committee gets its first look at a draft ordinance that will penalize unauthorized camping in non-designated areas. The meeting begins at 3 p.m. in the third floor conference room of Lawton City Hall.

The proposal is one of several actions taken by the council in recent months to battle what city officials say is a growing problem with homelessness, with issues ranging from threats made against employees in city businesses to fires in vacant structures caused by people needing light, heat or fire for cooking. City Attorney John Andrew said a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court would allow Lawton to impose an anti-camping ordinance, should the council agree.

June 28, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that cities don’t violate the U.S. Constitution by penalizing people for camping outside. The ruling stems from a 2018 lawsuit filed by homeless individuals against Grants Pass, a city in southern Oregon that banned camping on public property and overnight parking in city parks, to battle what it said was an overwhelming problem with homelessness. The Ninth Circuit Court sided with the residents who sued, saying the city’s ordinance essentially made it illegal to be homeless, but June’s Supreme Court ruling overturned that decision, allowing cities to impose such regulations.

Andrew said city staff already has an initial draft of an ordinance,

bud to review the document before bringing it to the council floor for consideration. Council members want the homeless committee to be part of that discussion.

Not everyone agrees with the idea.

Resident David Reeves said he is familiar with the Grants Pass situation because he worked with the homeless population in Oregon before moving to Lawton.

“The problem is that people don’t have any place to be,” he said, adding the issue is the community has “way more homeless” than it has shelter space.

Reeves said while he doesn’t understand what Lawton has in mind, he knows Grants Pass made the homeless situation worse for surrounding communities by banning homeless people from sleeping outside within its city limits. He also warned it is a decision with widespread repercussions, saying surveys have shown one in two Americans are an emergency away from being homeless.

Council members said they wanted the issue brought to the floor for discussion “to see what we want,” said Ward 8 Councilman Randy Warren.

The anti-camping ordinance is among several issues city officials have discussed or enacted in recent months to address Lawton’s growing homeless population, which has prompted many people to set up temporary housing in public places or squat in vacant or abandoned structures. City officials already have begun erecting signs at some major intersections to emphasize the city’s ban on panhandling. The city also created a Trespass Authorization Form earlier this year to give city police written permission to act as owners to enter and deal with trespassers.

Council members say they also have been approached by business owners complaining of problems ranging from trash and bodily fluids left outside their buildings, to employees frightened by confrontations with homeless people.

Council members said in March those problems are the reason they created the Homeless Action Committee, comprised of council members and three members of the community representing the social services and mental health fields, and faith-based community.