The Everett City Council recently passed CB-1509, which targets the homeless in exercising their constitutional right to ask for money. The text of the ordinance is duplicative of robbery and assault statutes, it violates First Amendment Jurisprudence, and it emphasizes the role of the criminal justice system in hiding the symptoms of poverty rather than attempting to strike at its roots. We call upon you to repeal the ordinance for the above reasons.
Why is this important?
Homeless is rampant in Snohomish County, Washington. While there are minimal efforts to address the causes and provide housing to the homeless, such efforts are underfunded and small in scope. The ACLU of Washington and Seattle University School of Law's Homeless Rights Advocacy Project sent the Mayor and Council members a letter urging them to reject the proposed amendments, calling them "unconstitutional, ineffective, and unnecessarily costly and punitive." Let's try to solve poverty, not just lock up the symptoms. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20151028/NEWS01/151028970
