The Traverse City Human Rights Commission thinks homeless people in Traverse City are being treated unfairly. The commission passed a non-binding “Bill of Rights” for homeless people at its meeting last night.
The document lists ten rights, including being able to move freely “without harassment or intimidation.” Commissioner Patricia Nugent says the idea came after the commission heard about some of the abuses suffered by homeless people.
“They had rocks thrown at them, beer bottles thrown at them … things like this where people would see them on the street and think that they had no rights and they could do those kinds of things,” says Nugent.
The Bill of Rights is modeled after similar resolutions passed in Madison, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota. The city’s legal department will go over the document before it is sent to the full city commission.