FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) Should the City of Fort Wayne follow the lead of President Donald Trump or California Governor Gavin Newsom when it comes to dealing with homeless encampments in Fort Wayne? That’s the question raised in a letter written by Fort Wayne City Council member Russ Jehl and Scott Myers and delivered to City Attorney Malak Heiny Monday and emailed to Mayor Sharon Tucker.
While Newsom is a Democrat, and Trump a Republican who have both been very vocal about each other’s differences, Jehl and Myers note in the letter that when it comes to homelessness strategy, their approaches to a solution are similar.
Jehl and Myers want the city to take action and believe Fort Wayne is way behind other Indiana cities; specifically Bloomington and South Bend, when it comes to dealing with homeless issues. The two say they’ve gotten nearly universal feedback from community business owners and their constituents about wanting the current system to change.
“Homelessness is a topic we all deeply care about, but in recent years, it has taken a new focus as we see our downtown over-burdened with people on the streets, day and night, and hear countless stories about dangerous encampments encroaching on our neighborhood,” states the opening paragraph of the letter.
Read: Letter from Jehl and Myers about homeless encampment strategy
Any change in strategy, such as physically moving homeless encampments, would need to be legal, hence the reason for the letter being delivered to the city attorney. Jehl and Myers in their letter mention formally amending City Code to allow police to remove encampments.
Back in May, Governor Newsom announced that he wants cities in California to enact ordinances that ban public camping. He also announced plans to greatly expand housing for the homeless…