Another day, another devastating blow to our unhoused neighbors. The Redwood City Council just passed a camping ban that’s about as compassionate as a tech bro’s startup culture. In a 6-1 vote that screams “we don’t actually care about solving homelessness,” the council basically criminalized existing while poor.

Let’s break this down: if you’re homeless and get two warnings, decline shelter (which may or may not actually be viable), you could face a misdemeanor charge, a $100 fine, and potentially six months in jail. Because that’s totally going to solve systemic poverty, right? 🙄

The “Compassionate” Approach

Councilmember Isabella Chu claims this isn’t criminalizing homelessness, but let’s be real - what else do you call turning survival into a potential legal offense? The council’s logic seems to be: if we make existing in public spaces uncomfortable enough, people will magically find housing.

Community Pushback

Community advocates aren’t having it. Clara Jaeckel from Faith in Action Bay Area pointedly asked how a city can claim to want inclusivity while essentially threatening to arrest its most vulnerable residents. The irony is thicker than San Francisco fog.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

In June, Redwood City counted 141 unsheltered people across 29 encampments. They’ve thrown $16 million at the problem since 2018, and their brilliant solution is… criminalizing poverty? Classic Bay Area “solution” - throw money at a complex issue without addressing root causes.

One silver lining: Councilmember Chris Sturken was the lone voice of reason, warning this approach is setting the city up for failure. At least someone’s paying attention.