Jay had a choice to make last week: Extend his hospital stay so he could get medical treatment, or go to court for unpaid fines after he was caught sleeping in a public park bathroom. All he had needed was a place to rest. Jay, a homeless man who asked to go only by his first name to maintain his privacy, skipped medical treatment and went to court. In much of Johnson County, it’s increasingly hard for people like Jay to find a place to rest. Case in point: In Gardner, sleeping outside can now get you a ticket. Last month, the Gardner City Council voted 4-1 to approve a new ordinance banning unlawful camping on public property — a definition that includes sleeping in parks, on benches, or even in a car. Councilmember Kelly Johnson cast the lone dissenting vote. City leaders note that the goal isn’t punishment. Instead, they say, it’s intervention.
Read more: Johnson County Post
