Now you have our attention on homelessness. That’s the message elected officials in six Phoenix metropolitan-area cities are sending their fed-up constituents less than a month after Arizonans overwhelmingly adopted Proposition 312, a first-in-the-nation law that holds government accountable for the rampant crisis.
Last week, the Mesa City Council voted unanimously to ban urban camping on public property, while the city of Tempe said it would more strictly enforce its existing urban camping ban. Mesa and Tempe joined Goodyear and Surprise , which both enacted similar bans in November, as well as Phoenix and Scottsdale , which did so over the summer. These policies generally prohibit individuals from camping in public places, on public property, and within 500 feet of a school, childcare facility, shelter or park.
In explaining its strict enforcement of the camping ban, Tempe pointed to Prop 312, a first-in-the-nation law designed by the Goldwater Institute to compensate property and business owners for damage created by the homelessness crisis. When government fails to provide public safety services — resulting in lawless dens of destruction plagued by vandalism, public urination and drug use — Prop 312 ensures law-abiding Arizonans can get their tax dollars back.