“HB 211 is a debt trap. It creates a population of people who are, by definition, unable to pay. And then converts that inability into a labor obligation,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert and founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek. “The ‘streets to success’ framing is deliberate misdirection. No legitimate treatment program requires the patient to work off their bill under threat of incarceration."
I’m morbidly fascinated by how carefully this article avoids using the obvious term. But slavery. It’s slavery. It is a bill that would literally, legally, enslave a population (of predominantly Black men, fucking surprise) for the “crime” of being poor.
I live in New Orleans. I pass by those homeless encampments all the time. They are largely separated from populated areas. No one I know cares that they are there.
This bill was written by a Republican from two towns over. That’s who cares. New Orleans is the target of state Republican policies over and over. We are a den of sin filled with people of color, never mind that we fund just about everything in this otherwise miserable state
Their location is strategically near the projects/French Quarter. The crack comes from the projects and the money comes from the French Quarter. The problem is “contained”, but that is because the police use questionable techniques to keep the homeless away from upper and middle class neighborhoods.
Honestly, the homeless people might be better off if they were arrested for loitering. When I was stuck in that homeless shelter, the police planted baking soda on me. “The distribution of false narcotics.” I ended up pleading guilty just to get out of jail.