MIAMI – People experiencing homelessness in Miami are testing new state restrictions on sleeping outdoors in public areas, with some planning to continue camping while police refrain from immediate arrests.
The new law that went into effect Tuesday prohibits counties and municipalities from allowing people to camp or sleep outside on public property unless it’s in a city- or county-designated encampment area.
“I was waiting for something to happen,” said Barry Orear, a 62-year-old experiencing homelessness who spent the first night of the new law’s enforcement sleeping on a sidewalk near Jackson Memorial Hospital. “Nothing happened. It’s okay. It’s not rough or anything. It’s better than starving.”
Among those who slept nearby was Zo Sadler.
“I do have a home, a house that I live in, but I’m not going to let the city or any police officers come and mess with these people,” Sadler said. “They don’t deserve that.”
They reported that neither police nor outreach workers approached those sleeping outside Tuesday night.