The City of Berkeley, California, a town known for its very liberal-leaning policies, has done something of an about face: It has just adopting a get-tough policy with respect to its homeless population. The Berkeley City Council passed a law that will hire dozens of "monitors" to patrol city streets and parks to root out and report any suspicious or untoward behavior (think aggressive panhandling, public defecation, etc.) by the homeless. The new policy will make it easier for police to enforce various laws, including those banning camping in public places and lying down on commercial streets during the day.
It should come as no surprise that many members of the council had a hard time with the decision. After all, Berkeley is the home to the Free Speech Movement and all manner of anti-establishment causes. Indeed, it was Berkeley's reputation for tolerance and abundant social services that drew a lot of the homeless to the city in the first place.
