“Poverty is not a crime” the ACLU of Nevada wrote after the Sparks City Council moved to boost an existing ordinance now making it a criminal misdemeanor with up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine to sleep in a vehicle or stay parked for an extended period of time while living inside an oversized RV on public property.
It was voted for unanimously Monday and took effect immediately despite dozens of emails against and angry comments from representatives of local mutual aid groups and faith-based groups, saying it was "inhumane."
The Sparks Police Chief who is also the Acting City Manager, Chris Crawforth, spoke in favor of the ordinance saying it was needed for what some other speakers also called service-resistant individuals.
An earlier presentation by the Nevada Housing Coalition indicated that with wages not keeping up with prices a person making minimum wage in Nevada now needs to work 82 hours a week to afford a basic one-bedroom apartment.
Sparks City Council Criminalizes Sleeping in Vehicle, Parking Lived-In RVs in Public
In this file photo, Richard told us about living in his car in northern Nevada.