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Naperville, home to 7-figure historic houses, Ribfest, and 2 Targets is a suburbanite wet dream. Which is probably why their city council doesn't want homeless people cluttering up their spiffy downtown. They recently passed an ordinance 6 votes to 1 "banning sleeping, camping and storing personal property" anywhere on their downtown streets. The Naperville city attorney says they enacted this measure to "protect the economic vitality" of the area.
But lest you think downtown Naperville has become some sort of shanty town, the move seems aimed solely at one person -- Scott Huber. Huber, 58, settled in on a Naperville sidewalk in 2001 and he's been in the same spot ever since. Huber claims he is "protesting city government injustices against him" by living there, and that "there is no excuse for those affluent and holier than thou in Naperville to violate federal law and ban [his] presence." He even ran for mayor (surprisingly, he lost).
The Daily Herald reports Councilman Richard Furstenau defending his vote saying, "To me this is an encampment that's been going on for a while and getting bigger and more elaborate in the last couple years than a lot of us can handle. It's time we put an end to this." Violators of the ordinance face a fine of $50 -- the fine increases to $100 for third and subsequent violations. No word on how exactly the city expects to ever collect on those fines.
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how is a homeless dude expected to pay a fine? this is a serious question, how does one enforce this? do you eventually put them in jail?
I agree with the point that this ordinance is directed specifically at Mr. Huber.
I visit Naperville frequently and Mr. Huber is camped out on public sidewalk with a tent, a noisy portable generator, and a bunch of other stuff. His ramshackle shelter is like a small building, with various belongings spread along the sidewalk.
I think that the City Council--acting on behalf the nearby merchants and the general public--has every right to see that Mr. Huber is moved from this busy location.
At the very least, he should not be permitted to keep this amount of stuff on the sidewalk.
I live in Naperville, and pass this dude staked out every time I'm downtown. I'm usually simply dismissive of homeless people, and I certainly wouldn't call him a complete nuisance... But I can see where city officials are coming from...
First of all, he's in the CENTER of downtown, more like a permanent monument than some passing transient.. He's not just simply some guy sitting, either. He's got a full "camp" set up complete with a constantly running (loud) generator and, get this, a laptop. I've talked to him once or twice, trying to get his point of view on exactly what he's protesting... But he really only comes off as one of those people who are just sounding off for the sake of sounding off.
I like living here, and I think that the city has been cool with this situation for long enough. I'm not completely certain of the details, but I know that they have given him several alternatives and he doesn't listen.
Putting up with homeless people is just part of the price you have to pay. If you don't like it move to Napervill...
Oh wait.
+1
Nicholas, I get your point.
But if you saw the size of Mr. Huber's palace set up on the sidewalk, you would have a different opinion.
This is not simply a guy stretched out on the sidewalk.
Disposing of "Mr. Huber's palace" would have been taken care of with the "storing personal property" part of the ordinance, but instead they chose to be broader reaching just to be sure no transient ever stepped foot across their border again, and if they do, the cops will have full endorsement to harass them.
They don't want the "guy stretched out on the sidewalk" either.
Seriously did you use the words "wet dream" in a newspaper article?? Is that really journalism these days!
Lady, Chicagoist is not a newspaper. You know how I know this? I'm reading it on a computer monitor, for one thing.
LOL