City Bill Would Have Police Help Enforce Sidewalk Nuisance Law

City Councilman Ikaika Anderson has introduced Bill 3, which would allow members of the Honolulu police department to help enforce the sidewalk nuisance law that was passed last year.  Currently, the law states that only members of the Department of Facility Maintenance are allowed to "immediately and summarily remove" nuisance items on sidewalks.  Anderson stated, "What's happened is that by nightfall, sidewalk dwellers return knowing full well that the city does not have the resources to return to an area in a week or a week and a half. City sidewalks are for traversing. They are not for squatting, they are not for living, period."  Under Bill 3, police offers would be able to respond and remove objects on their own.

Opponents of the bill argue that the sidewalk nuisance law unfairly targets the disadvantaged. They suggest that instead of spending money and resources on enforcing the law, they should be used to fund programs that directly assist the homeless.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 1-15-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
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