{"id":20255,"date":"2022-11-24T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T14:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=20255"},"modified":"2022-11-24T09:01:08","modified_gmt":"2022-11-24T14:01:08","slug":"tis-the-season-to-selectively-enforce-camping-bans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/tis-the-season-to-selectively-enforce-camping-bans\/","title":{"rendered":"Tis’ the Season to Selectively Enforce Camping Bans"},"content":{"rendered":"
The leaves have turned, a chill is in the air, and it’s already started snowing in some places. Soon, a crowd of excited shoppers will descend on their favorite stores, camping out overnight on the pavement in front of them all for a chance to snag the season’s biggest savings. Or a trampling injury – whichever comes first.<\/span><\/p>\n But on every other day of the year, this kind of “unruly behavior” is heavily criticized and criminalized in cities across America. The only difference tonight is who’s doing the camping. The people who leave their Thanksgiving celebrations early with a belly full of turkey, voluntarily forsaking their warm bed for the night in favor of spending some disposable income on a bevy of material goods are not the sort of people police are interested in fining or arresting for camping in public.<\/span><\/p>\n Apparently, it’s only a crime to camp in public if you have no other choice but to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s not like Black Friday encampments are one-night-only, understated affairs, either. Many people who’ve made a tradition out of pre-Black Friday camping have large setups that start earlier and earlier each year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One enthusiast sets up his campsite<\/a> two full weeks before the big day. He decks it out with a generator, hammock, flat-screen TV, fully decorated Christmas tree, and a tiki bar. And that’s just one person’s setup. That has got to be more of a “public nuisance” than a few unhoused people in tents just trying to get by.<\/span><\/p>\n All of this is especially rich, considering the business community is often the first to speak out about unhoused people camping near their establishments and “scaring away” their potential customers.<\/span><\/p>\n Knowing how heartless this sounds, they’ll usually try to dress up their complaints with pseudo-compassionate language like, “no one should have to sleep outside.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But, as soon as the campers are reasonably likely to drop a good chunk of change in your store, it all becomes ok, and you’ve got nothing more to say on the matter. Very interesting.<\/span><\/p>\nA Tale of Two Encampments<\/span><\/h3>\n
Businesses Are Suddenly Very Quiet<\/span><\/h3>\n
The Selective Enforcement Is Very Telling<\/span><\/h3>\n