Amarillo Has The Tent City Blues; City Ordinance Being Discussed

Amarillo has the tent city blues.  When it started nine months ago most of us looked the other way, some of us donated and others laughed.  No one is laughing now.

The Pierce Street overpass next to Faith City Ministries is packed wall-to-wall with tents and homeless people living in them.  Faith City has being doing all it can to help these people in need.  But the worm has turned.

Donations have ceased.  Alcohol abuse is rampant.  Theft is a growing problem.  There have been reports of people having sex in broad daylight.  Some of the residents of tent city have become abusive and have basically driven off the good Samaritans providing them with the little help they were getting.

There is little the city can do about the problem as the tent city is officially on state, not city property.  TxDot has to make a complaint before anything can be done.  Of course when tent city is dispersed they will have to go somewhere else.

In this regard Amarillo City Attorney Marcus Norris has given city commissioners a draft ordinance that would bar camping on public property within the city limits.

No word on how this will effect Black Friday, the next major concert ticket event or the Fourth of July but beware setting up a tent!

For more see this source article.