The City Council in the North Texas city of Allen unanimously approved a new ordinance banning sleeping in public spaces, a move that has drawn criticism from some local nonprofits who say the measure was adopted quickly and without public input.
The ordinance was proposed by Allen Police Chief Steve Dye on Dec. 9 during a City Council meeting.
“I’m proposing a new ordinance regarding sleeping and camping in public,” Dye said. “So, over the last couple of years, we have seen an increase in our unsheltered population in Allen. Historically, the majority of those are in vehicles and parking lots, followed by those camping in wooded areas. However, recently, we have an increase in unsheltered sleeping on some of our sidewalks and breezeways in front of our businesses.”…