1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

The La. House advanced a bill that would criminalize public camping with fines and jail time as a way to direct homeless people into diversion programs and workforce training. I believe this is so very ill advised. In a state that's call the Sportsman's Paradise, restricting or criminalizing the act of "camping" will be devastating to our outdoor enthusiast and our tourist industry. And criminalizing public camping as an answer the homeless problem is not a solvation, just a band-aid, and you know that. If you can't see the homeless, they just don't exist? We can do better that this. This effort won't change the population of the homeless but it will have shock waves in the general population that enjoy the outdoors.