Ashland strengthening ban on public camping

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Ashland City Council has voted to tighten its ban on public camping.

The Ashland Daily Tidings reports (http://is.gd/QzDq8c ) that the move was prompted by the municipal court’s dismissal of two citations.

Currently, a camper can have a citation dismissed if the city can’t prove he or she was living at the site.

Under the change, a citation would stand up in court if the city can show the person was taking up space in a way that precludes the use of the area by the general public.

Keith Haxton, a homeless man, says the action expected to win final approval next month punishes poverty and could interfere with the constitutional right to assemble peacefully.

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Information from: The Ashland Daily Tidings, http://www.dailytidings.com