Columbus Council votes on new city law critics say criminalizes homelessness
Columbus Council passed a controversial ordinance Tuesday, making it illegal to camp on public property, which some critics say would criminalize homelessness.
The new city law passed in the council 9-1 vote. District 7 Councilor Joanne Cogle, a candidate for mayor, cast the lone no vote.
The amended ordinance makes it unlawful for people to camp on public property, store personal property on public property and to interfere with entering or exiting any public property, according to a copy of the ordinance.
The ordinance says the Columbus Police Department must provide a written or oral notification of the violation, at which point the violator will be given eight calendar days to vacate the property.
The ordinance says, in cases of personal property stored on public property, CPD will notify the Columbus Public Works Department, which will remove and transport the property to the public landfill after a minimum of eight calendar days.
The ordinance says the punishment for violating any part of the ordinance — after conviction in Columbus Recorder’s Court — falls under Section 1-8 of the city’s code.
Section 1-8 allows for punishment by “a fine not exceeding $1,000.00, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.”
The ordinance provides exemptions for:
- Outdoor events with issued permits
- City, state or county officials or employees acting in their official capacity
- City, state or county contractors or subcontractors performing activities under the scope of work in the city contract.
Public backlash against the ordinance
Several people spoke to the council in opposition of the ordinance after it passed Tuesday.
Some clergy evoked Matthew 25:40, which says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
“God’s law has always demanded room for the poor, space for the vulnerable and provision for those in need,” the Rev. Michael Sherman said.
Council candidate Simi Barnes, daughter of the late Columbus Councilor Jerry “Pops” Barnes, asked the council, “How many unhoused or formerly unhoused folks have you spoken with when crafting this ordinance?”
“What you have proposed is akin to making the unhoused play a cruel and unrelenting game of musical chairs,” Barnes said.
The Rev. Valerie Thompson called the homeless “our neighbors.” She said, “We can choose handcuffs, or we can choose hope.”
“My prayer is that Columbus will be remembered as a city that lifted its people up, not locked them away,” Thompson said.
James Clements said stereotypes such as homeless people being addicts, criminals or lazy “linger like stubborn shadows.”
Clements said he was an Atlanta police officer in the early 2000s when a homeless person asked him for a blanket on a night the temperature had dropped into the teens.
The homeless person told him all the shelters were full. Clements said there was a place he could take him to be warm for the night. The homeless person responded, Clements recalled, “I fought for this country in Vietnam, and I’ll be damned if I go to jail. I will die on these cold streets before I do.”
Rationale for the ordinance
The Columbus ordinance to criminalize camping on public property became possible after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Oregon city’s ordinance prohibiting people who are unhoused from using blankets, pillows or cardboard boxes for protection while sleeping within city limits last year.
Councilor Charmaine Crabb of District 5 committed to revisiting the ordinance and working to address the community’s concerns during a July 22 council meeting. However, she emphasized what she feels the importance of this ordinance is in a text message to the Ledger-Enquirer.
“At the same time, we are hearing from residents and property owners who are deeply frustrated with the impacts of encampments throughout the city, including garbage, safety concerns, and damage to public and private property,” she said. “These citizens pay taxes and deserve to see their parks, sidewalks, and neighborhoods clean, safe, and accessible to all. Their rights and concerns are also valid and must be addressed.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 3:34 PM.