Camping, lying down, sitting and sleeping in public places have been illegal in some parts of town for years. But city council members approved a new ordinance Wednesday to make those bans citywide.
Ward 4 council member Meghan Ebert was the only one who voted no.
“I don't think getting arrested makes it easier to get a job,” she said. “We're getting into debtors' prison territory.”
Mayor Hillary Schieve was absent from the meeting, which saw more than two hours of passionate public comment.
The new ordinance follows tightening restrictions adopted last year by the City of Sparks and Washoe County commissioners, and a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned some protections for unhoused people in Western states.
Business owners like Coleman Smith said the change was necessary because unhoused people drive customers away — and that encampments threaten public safety.
“For me and my support of this ordinance, it comes down to the better part of a decade. Just kind of being tired of being empathetic, and not seeing a lot of change,” he said.
But a coalition of faith leaders and mutual aid activists argue Washoe County, which is the local government tasked with providing services to unhoused residents, doesn’t have enough resources to meet their needs.
And they said misdemeanor charges will just make it harder for unhoused people to get off the streets.
“If you vote yes, we and thousands of other people in the City of Reno, who recognize the inherent humanity of our unhoused neighbors, will boycott downtown businesses that support this inhumane ordinance,” said C. McCombs.
Deputy City Attorney Brian Sooudi pushed back on the criticism. He said police will have to warn someone before bringing charges. And even then, Sooudi said the ordinance gives unhoused people the chance to go to community court, allowing them to seek services instead of doing time.
“You really have to work hard to get arrested and just straight to jail,” he said.
But Steven Markley told the city council it wasn’t the fear of police that helped him get his life together after six years on the streets of Las Vegas — it was the support he got from people who cared about him.
‘I understand that this law is an easy solution, but I believe that we can find something better if we work together,” he said.
On the same day as the vote, Washoe County’s online dashboard showed just nine available shelter beds, and five empty sites at the county-run safe camp.
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