Homeless activists protest proposed Berkeley laws with sleep-in

BERKELEY, Calif. (KTVU) - On Tuesday night, the Berkeley City Council will consider passing new laws that affect the homeless including limits on how much they can carry with them on city streets.

In response, on Monday the homeless and their advocates held a protest vigil. They're spending the night in tents on the lawn of old City Hall in advance of the meeting.

On the steps of the building, they sang a song to fight what they say is Berkeley's attempt to criminalize homelessness.

"I stay with friends if I can. When I can't...It's so humiliating. I can't talk about it," said Tazma Anaya, who is homeless.

She and her husband Frederic Porier say they plan to sleep in their car Monday night , but that they've been harassed by police when they do so. 

They say more new laws will only hurt them and other homeless people.

"They profile people. They profile people's cars when you have such oridnances in the books," said Poirier.

Berkeley City Council will consider new laws that include banning personal items on sidewalks and plazas, taking up more than two square feet, and items such as shopping carts on a given street for more than an hour between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Supporters of the proposed restrictions say new laws are necessary and that the homeless often block sidewalks and engage in criminal behavior such as drug use.

"Oodles of complaints from merchants and people who say, 'I'm not going downtown. I'm not going to the theater, not going to the restaurants.' It just doesn't feel safe," said Polly Armstrong, CEO of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce.

If the new laws pass, the city will provide storage space for the homeless. Supporters say police need these laws to make Berkeley streets safe and sanitary.

"We hope that these are gentle, thoughtful , creative ways of dealing with the problem. They're going to help the people on the street and the people who live and work here," said Armstrong.

"We're not criminals. We're simply poor. We're out here as a matter of condition and not by choice," said Mike Lee who is also homeless.

Organizers tell KTVU the protest will last until Tuesday night's meeting ends.

If the new laws pass, the homeless and their advocates say they will continue to fight by holding more protests.

They say more housing, not more laws, will solve the homeless problem.