Charlotte, NC — There is no doubt that the United States is experiencing a homeless epidemic. From coast to coast, the homelessness crisis has surged as cities struggle to cope with a growing number of houseless people, many of whom only recently found themselves in this predicament thanks to the government-mandated shutdown which sent the economy into a downward spiral over the last 18 months.
As municipalities struggle to find solutions, dinosaur politicians continue to rely on the one thing that has never worked — the police state. During a city council meeting last month, Council Member from Charlotte’s 6th District, Tariq Bokhari proposed making it a crime to help the homeless.
“People aren’t getting it and they’re still bringing food and money and resources directly to the folks that are out there right now. They’re only making themselves feel good, they’re hurting the ultimate folks, perhaps we explore making that a misdemeanor,” Bokhari said.
When asked why he thought this was a solution, Bokhari chalked it up to “tough love” in the form of fines or possible imprisonment for helping those in need.
“I think we need a heavier dose of tough love amongst this community especially amongst those who continually give money, and food, and clothing directly to these folks instead of giving them to the organizations that are designed to help them,” Bokhari said.
Apparently this low-level tyrant thinks that punishing people for their good deeds is how to solve the homelessness crisis. Though his comments went largely unchallenged in the meeting, luckily Bokhari is not finding much support for his proposal in the community and has received hefty backlash from activists.
Read More: City Proposes Fining, Arresting Good Samaritans Who Donate to the Homeless
