Police and downtown advocates at the meeting hailed the measure as a way to address problems encountered by residents, tourists and businesses. This ordinance is going to be a great tool for us, Deputy Police Chief Rick Morris told the commissioners. It doesn’t take our compassion away.. It gives us opportunity to enforce laws but more importantly it gives us tools to help people.
Civil libertarians were quick to reject the provisions as unconstitutional attempts to criminalize behavior rather than address causes – and as mean-spirited – especially in a time of pandemic. The real motivation here is not to help people but to remove the faces of poverty and homelessness, said Jim Green, a West Palm Beach lawyer and former president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.