In May, Operation SAFE, the governor’s initiative to remove homeless encampments from state property, was enacted in Norman.
Two weeks later, the Norman City Council was criticized by residents and officials over an agenda item proposing a temporary suspension of the zoning ordinance to allow camping in residential areas. The agenda item was not scheduled for a vote, but was met with a unanimous rejection after public outcry.
And, while a wave of anti-homeless policy and rhetoric has swept through Norman and the state, the State Fire Marshal on Monday temporarily shut down the Norman Night Shelter for code violations, a move that put more than 50 people at risk of sleeping outside…