ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Ashland City Council is considering an exclusion zone in the city’s downtown as an alternative to the growing list of citations and thousands of dollars in unpaid fines accumulated by the city’s homeless population.
The Ashland Daily Tidings reports the city’s police force is frustrated that repeat citations for nuisance violations like urinating in public and sleeping on private property are ignored by the homeless population.
Ashland Police Chief Terry Holderness says some homeless people who do find jobs must pay off thousands in fines from their paychecks before they collect any money, possibly contributing to long-term homelessness.
An exclusion zone would ban people with multiple violations from downtown, and allow police to arrest them for criminal trespassing if they return.
