“I’m just ashamed that this bill even came into fruition,” a Lexington council member said.
The bill also gives people the ability to justify use of “defensive force” upon an unhoused person in instances of criminal trespass, including “unlawful camping” on the owner’s property. This would allow property owners to use deadly force against unhoused people on their property without facing criminal consequences.
I hope this bill has some “defensive force” applied to it before it becomes a law.
I hope the people who vote for this end up homeless, so they can experience “defensive force” personally.
Imagine if this passed.
If you kick your SO out of your house, and they agree to leave, they’re now instantly unhoused, right? And your honor, they brought all their stuff and were sleeping on my property.
Could landlords come in, swat style, and execute you the moment eviction procedures go through?
If someone is not inside a house, are they not unhoused? If their house burned down 5 minutes ago they certainly no longer have a house. If anyone is not in sight of their house, they could plausibly be unhoused, whether they know it or not. Besides, there’s no way for you to know their housing status. So all campers on your property sound like fair game.
What constitutes camping? Being inside a tent? Sleeping? Bringing stuff onto the property? If a company sets up a party tent at the wrong address, could you mow them down?
They did define it in the law.
But I don’t expect anyone who’d shoot a person for being homeless to read it.
