Last Updated on August 6, 2023, 2:51 AM | Published: November 22, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY — Four hours of public comment and over one hour of OKC City Council members’ at-times contentious comments produced a motion to strike all three proposals that would have empowered police to crack down on homeless persons in the City.
Ward 8 Councilor Mark Stonecipher had championed two new ordinances and a memorandum of understanding with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety intended to dramatically curb the presence of homeless persons in public areas around the city.
- A trespassing ordinance that required anyone on either public or private property to show written proof that they had permission or cause to be there
- An encampment ordinance that would allow police to break up homeless camps’
- A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the city that would allow OKCPD officers to enforce the proposed trespass and camping ordinances
In the end, Stonecipher ended up agreeing to strike the items from the agenda.
It came after:
- four hours of strong arguments from a long train of members of the public against the items
- strong arguments against from members of the council, and
- the mayor stating his intent to vote against
The Council then voted unanimously for the motion to strike.
Active resistance
Free Press reported the agenda items Friday once the City Council agenda came out which prompted ongoing discussions over the weekend, especially from those who opposed the ideas.
It also comes after several people wrote opinion pieces for us and for other publications as well and after an organizing meeting against the measures by Mayflower Congregational Church.
Reaction
“The moral conscience of OKC was well represented by the citizens today,” said resident and business-owner Chad Whitehead on a phone call with us. “And, I’m grateful that, for the time being, council will not move forward with this proposed ordinance change.”
Whitehead said that he didn’t know Stonecipher but, “I hope he was a little embarrassed by the proceedings today. That didn’t need to happen. I mean, so many good people had to take a half day off of work, you know, just state the basics of our humanity.”
Residents’ comments
The range of comments against the proposals during the four hours came from:
- Those who saw the proposals as “criminalizing” poverty and homelessness
- Those who have businesses and struggle with the presence of homeless persons who are mentally ill but didn’t think further arrests would solve root problem
- Those who have been homeless before, are not now, and think arresting more homeless persons will solve nothing
- Those who currently have family members who are out on the street because of mental illness and chemical abuse
- Those who had a specific faith-based approach mostly from the Christian Faith that — they argued — compells them to care for homeless persons, not simply have them arrested and thrown in jail
“I’m asking each and every one of you please don’t put us in jail, because we don’t deserve it. We’ve done nothing to deserve to go to jail,” said Ronette Bates, who had experienced homelessness once herself.
Two in favor
Only two people came to speak in favor of the proposals: Carol Hefner and her husband, Robert Hefner.
Carol Hefner ran for mayor in the last mayoral race and lost. But, she went ahead and repeated questionable statements made in the mayoral debate that she had interviewed 94 homeless people and that 89 of them “were not from Oklahoma.” She said those 89 were from the “West Coast.” However, just like in the debate, she offered no other evidence or documentation for those numbers and anecdotes.
Carol Hefner also said that the mayor had taken a tour of West Coast cities to see what they were doing about homelessness. But, the mayor once again said that he had made no such trip.
She also said that the Homeless Alliance had been given “$55 million dollars” from MAPS money and “my question is: What are they doing for these people?”
Later, Dan Straughan with the Homeless Alliance challenged that statement saying that not only had the Homeless Alliance not received $55 million from MAPS, they had not received “55 nickels” from MAPS.
Her husband, born wealthy into the Hefner family that Lake Hefner and the Hefner Parkway are named after, also spoke and argued that religion had been used a lot by people speaking aginst the ideas but that government should have nothing to do with faith directives given to individuals.
“The only job of government is to protect property,” said Robert Hefner. “Government shouldn’t be your god.”
Council members comments
Tensions between council members were on display during council comments time on the proposals.
Stonecipher, Nice, and Ward 6 Councilor JoBeth Hamon typically don’t come together often on ideas but this one showed a sharper divide.
Stonecipher and Ward 4 Councilor Todd Stone both said that they brought out these ideas because “we needed to start this conversation.”
But, in her comments, Hamon was direct and forceful.
“Someone said earlier that you needed to start this conversation. I find that insulting on multiple levels,” said Hamon with an unusually high level of intensity. Then, she listed how she thought it was insulting:
- “I find it personally insulting because this issue is maybe the main issue I opened my mouth about on this body or on this horseshoe since April of 2019.”
- “I’m insulted for our service providers or city staff who have also in the weeds of this conversation. And apparently those presentations reports, data that they have presented to us has consistently fallen on deaf ears. Because questions continue to be asked, already been answered by those individuals.”
Hamon also raised the issue of what were called by Stonecipher and others the “street sheet” that was a listing of services intended to be handed out to homeless persons. She said that homeless persons will probably not trust the person handing out the sheet unless they have a relationship withg the one giving the sheet.
“You need that connection and that trust for someone to accept help from you,” said Hamon.
Councilor Nice pointed out that rents and evictions are on the rise across the U.S and in Oklahoma asking how it is that we can jail the homeless when people are being crowed out of what’s left of affordable housing in OKC.
Ward 5 Councilor David Greenwell took the approach that giving the police more powers to arrest the homeless would make the city safer, to which Hamon responded that giving services for the mentally ill in the first place is what heads off the need for a strong police presence.
The entire video of Tuesday’s City Council meeting can be found later Tuesday at the City of Oklahoma City YouTube channel.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
