SEATTLE (AP) — An affluent Seattle-area community has approved an ordinance prohibiting camping on public property. The city of Mercer Island says the measure will connect homeless people to shelters, but it might prove hard to enforce because of a federal court ruling. The City Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday to ban camping. Violations will be a misdemeanor offense, subject to fines of up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail. There are no homeless shelters on Mercer Island, so officers will direct people to facilities elsewhere. But if there’s no shelter space available, the city says it can’t enforce the measure. A federal appeals court ruled that anti-camping bans are unconstitutional when people have no other options.
Seattle suburb OKs camping ban it may not be able to enforce
