DeKalb County leaders in the Atlanta, Ga., area were divided Monday over a new urban camping ban that commissioners approved last month and that has not yet taken effect. CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson joined commissioners and other county leaders to talk through the ordinance and how it will work.
Under the ordinance, it becomes unlawful to camp, or engage in related nuisance conduct, on public property. Cochran-Johnson said the county would not abandon anyone or criminalize people who are unhoused, and she said the measure is meant to bring more help to those in need. She pointed to millions of dollars the county has already committed to low-cost housing, emergency shelters and daytime centers for people without homes, and she described the county’s duty to keep public spaces safe and accessible.
Under the process laid out in the ordinance, an officer must first issue a warning, spoken or in writing, before anyone can be arrested for urban camping. The officer must also offer to connect the person with shelter and wraparound services. Someone who is still camping 24 hours after that can be arrested.
Commissioner Ted Terry, one of the opponents, argued that the ban criminalizes homelessness by allowing arrests of people who sleep outdoors. He said some people need more time to accept services and called the 24-hour window too short, saying best practice would be at least 72 hours before enforcement.
Atlanta itself lies mainly in Fulton County, with a smaller eastern section extending into DeKalb County, so the policy touches residents on both sides of the county line.
The disagreement centers on how quickly enforcement can begin after an offer of help: supporters stress the services attached to the ordinance, while opponents want a longer period before anyone faces arrest.
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