Writing Assignment 2: City Policy Towards Homelessness
Due: May 15, 2023 at 11:59pm via Canvas.
On Sept. 3, 2021, the City of Los Angeles began enforcement of Municipal Code Section 41.18, an ordinance passed earlier by the City Council that prohibits sitting, sleeping, lying, storing personal property or otherwise obstructing any right of way in the city subject to several conditions. The city can also target so-called “sensitive” areas such as schools, parks and libraries and prohibit camping within 500 feet of them. Los Angeles isn’t alone; in Oct. 2021, a person experiencing homelessness was injured when Washington D.C. officials attempted to clear a homeless camp with a bulldozer while that person was inside their tent.
In 600-750 words, write an op-ed tailored to any news outlet in California making a case for any local government to either follow LA’s example and pass strong anti-camping laws or prohibit the forced closure of homeless encampments. Your recommendation should be aimed at a specific lawmaking body, (e.g. the Riverside City Council or the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors) and should include examples of why a law like LA’s Municipal Code 41.18 would help or hurt the city in question. As part of your op-ed, you should mention any similar laws either currently under debate or already on the books. You can choose anywhere in the state, but choosing a place you’re already familiar with and have ties to will both make your research easier and increase your chances of having your op-ed published, (if this is something you desire.)
References in your op-ed should be hyperlinked under the relevant portion of text, (For example, the median sales price for a home in Los Angeles grew 13.9 percent between August 2020 and August 2021.) You do not have to cite the class readings and you can cite any credible source you encounter during your research. As this is an op-ed, it is not just OK, but encouraged for you to include any personal connections or anecdotes you might have regarding the issue.
The op-ed will be graded on the cohesiveness of your argument, the quality of the research done and the effectiveness of your writing.
Resources on how to write an op-ed:
https://communicators.duke.edu/writing-media/writing-effective-op-eds/
https://www.vanderbilt.edu/writing/resources/how-to-write-an-op-ed/
Resources to get you started learning about anti-camping ordinances:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uHiJruK9Ri2Q_4RiIw2NAUGsk-mbo-k7PNE1ycVovXc/edit
https://www.aclu-wa.org/file/101615/download?token=zvf4spb_
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-07-28/anti-camping-vote-la-homelessness
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article234967952.html