A bill was filed in the Texas Senate last month that would allow the state to hold cities, including Dallas, accountable for not enforcing laws against public encampments.
Numerous homeless and vagrant encampments are scattered across Dallas, despite the Office of Homeless Solutions’ (OHS) frequent attempts to “clean” encampments throughout the city.
Council Member Cara Mendelsohn has recently argued that the City is “not doing enforcement that’s necessary” when it comes to addressing homelessness.
Public encampments are prohibited under Texas law. Other large Texas cities such as Austin and Houston are also facing crises of homelessness and vagrancy amid apparently lax enforcement.
Senate Bill 2018, filed in the legislature on March 9 by Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton), would compel local entities to enforce state law regarding homeless encampments.
The bill prohibits local governments from “adopt[ing] or enforc[ing] a policy … [which] prohibits or discourages the enforcement of any public camping ban.”
A companion bill was introduced in the Texas House by Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mount Pleasant).
“It’s a shame that any city in the state of Texas would … [require] action from the state level just to get City leadership to do their job,” Jake Colglazier of Keep Dallas Safe told The Dallas Express. “However, clearly it is necessary that these people be held accountable. … I fully support the state’s attempts to reign these people in.”
Colglazier said that whether this legislation is adopted “depends on how much the people in Texas push for it.”
“Republicans in the House and Senate have proven that they really don’t care very much about passing this sort of thing that actually benefits the people of Texas,” he explained, noting that “instances where they have done something like that” came after persistent calls from the people of Texas.
Colglazier noted constitutional carry and the heartbeat bill as examples.
“There’s a much greater chance of it passing if the people of Texas are aware of it and they push their representatives and senators to vote in favor,” he told The Dallas Express, while also encouraging people “to pay attention to what’s going on at the city level.”
“There is a city council race coming up in May,” he noted. “They have the power to make things change, but the current city council is not interested in that.”
Colglazier said “there’s a big problem with rogue prosecutors” such as Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot who refuse to prosecute crimes while judges let “people go on reduced bail.”
“This is contributing very heavily to the rise of crime we see across the country,” he explained.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the City of Dallas has allegedly directed Dallas police not to enforce laws against local vagrants and homeless people, contributing to the rising crisis of homelessness and vagrancy throughout the city.
A recent survey conducted by The Dallas Express found that the majority of Dallas County residents likely to vote in municipal elections view homelessness and vagrancy as serious problems.
Additional polling from Downtown Dallas Inc. has found that more than 75% of downtown residents believe that “homelessness is a significant issue.”
These figures persist despite the fact that the City spends millions in taxpayer money responding to homelessness and vagrancy every year.
One approach favored by many Dallas residents is that successfully modeled by Haven for Hope in San Antonio, a one-stop shop for homelessness that provides services in a contained geographic area.
The Dallas Express reached out to the office of Sen. Pete Flores for additional information or comment but did not receive a response by the publication deadline.