Droves of speakers lined up at Paterson’s City Council meeting on Tuesday to share their anger and disgust with a proposed ordinance that would jail and fine homeless people found sleeping on the street.
“This ordinance criminalizes being poor outright. People should not be punished for being outside, especially when there is nowhere else to go,” said Shahar Alexandra, program director and policy coordinator of Men’s Interfaith Rotating Shelter.
At the last minute, the council president pulled the ordinance from a vote, but these folks were still ready to share their thoughts about the city’s response to the growing homeless population.
“Did Paterson consider the model that the city of Passaic did in 2021, the initiative to purchase a building, creating a safe and temporary space for the unhoused to regroup and reclaim their lives?” said Shiranda Roberts, 3rd Ward resident. “Or what Newark did with Hope Village, refurbishing shipping containers, providing shelter with dignity, leading them to further phases of support. These models work.
“Why are we not learning from them?” she said.
Added Zellie Thomas from Black Lives Matter Paterson: “If we want to build this city, we need to attack the real root of this issue, which is the lack of affordable housing. Don’t attack the people without homes, attack the people building these homes that people can’t rent. The number one reason they’re houseless is not because of substance use disorder. It’s because of evictions, or people losing their homes because of shared living.”
Others shared that it would cost far more to hold the homeless in jail than to pay for shelter. And they blasted claims made by city officials that the homeless want to be on the street and … there are plenty of open beds in city shelters.
“That is a lie,” said Jeffrey J. Wild, Trustee at NJ Coalition to End Homelessness. “I went out in the cold and found and spoke to these people and they’re desperate. We’ve checked the shelters in Paterson. I was speaking to St. Pauls yesterday, the only men’s shelter in Paterson that has emergency shelter beds. They’re all full.”
“I want to commend the council for removing this item from the agenda,” he said.
Several of the council members who’d planned to vote in favor of the ordinance shared how their hearts and minds were changed from the testimony.
“I was in support of the ordinance,” said Maritza Davila, Paterson Councilwoman. “So, I listened to each and every one of you. I am looking forward for it to come back to committee, have a discussion with all the entities that want to be involved in it, with the administration.”
Al Abdelaziz just left his council post as of Thursday, headed for the state Assembly, where he said he’ll take up this issue.
