MORGANTOWN — Morgantown Coalition for Housing Action — the group that organized a successful repeal petition to force Morgantown’s camping ban ordinance onto Tuesday’s municipal ballot — said the end result was not merely a political outcome, but political violence.
Enactment of the law was upheld by a slight majority of the city’s voters who participated in the election. Unofficially, the repeal effort was defeated 982 to 904.
“To be clear, it is unequivocally violent to ridicule, torment, forcibly evict and jail the poorest people in our community for the newly created crime of having nowhere safe to sleep. To celebrate this as a ‘win’ is deeply abhorrent and inhumane,” the group said in a statement provided to The Dominion Post.
“For us, we grieve that an already hard life for our neighbors — lived in full view of the cruelest voyeurs — is now decidedly harder; less dignified, more chaotic and nearly impossible to navigate. We know that camping bans cannot and do not solve homelessness because they have not ever, in any place where they have been implemented. That said, this is the solution city council and 52% of voters have chosen. The onus is on them — no more excuses.”
MoCHA’s position represents one side of an incredibly complex, and often contentious, conversation that began about 10 months ago, when Morgantown City Councilor Louise Michael called on council to look into the prohibition.
Michael said she’s glad it was the voters who had the final say.
“This decision reflects our dedication to maintaining public safety and enhancing the quality of life for all residents,” she said. “We remain committed to working collaboratively with various stakeholders to ensure that our policies are effective and compassionate, addressing the needs of both our unsheltered population and the broader community.”
While the camping ban debate raged in Morgantown, Delegate Geno Chiarelli, R-Monongalia, proposed a statewide urban camping ban during the recently concluded legislative session. The measure overwhelmingly passed the West Virginia House, but ultimately didn’t make it to the governor’s desk.
“I was pleased but not surprised to see Morgantown voters spoke at the ballot box [Tuesday] to maintain a ban on individuals using our public property as camp sites. I know this is an important safety issue in other parts of the state, which is why I plan to introduce by bill to ban urban camping again next year during the regular legislative session,” Chiarelli said in a statement distributed by Ann Ali, the director of communications for the West Virginia House of Delegates.
Monongalia County Commission Tom Bloom said he not only supports the local camping ban, but shares Chiarelli’s belief that such a law is needed elsewhere.
“I want to thank the voters who made a very difficult decision on a complex matter. As council member ‘Weez’ Michael inferred, this is just one step in providing help and services to those who need it. It was made clear by the vote that the community is wanting to help, but they also want parameters in place for those who are habitual offenders of the law,” Bloom said. “I personally do look forward to this becoming a state law, so it will allow the county commission the same flexibility.”
Much like the wider community, Morgantown City Council was split on the issue. The camping ban ordinance was passed on two 4-3 votes. Once the successful citizen petition was confirmed, council split along the same lines in choosing not to repeal the law, which moved it to Tuesday’s ballot.
Councilors Bill Kawecki, Jenny Selin and Dave Harshbarger joined Michael in supporting the law. Councilors Danielle Trumble, Brian Butcher and Mayor Joe Abu-Ghannam voted in the minority each time.
“At the end of the day, I’m not sure a whole lot around Morgantown is going to change,” Trumble said. The city already has an encampment policy, and we’ve actually shut down several encampments over the last couple weeks. A lot of places that people tend to camp is private property, and people don’t realize that this will do nothing on private property.”
As for MoCHA, “we aren’t going anywhere. We’ve shed our tears and we’ve already begun scheming.”
In its statement, the group encouraged “caring people” to work harder than ever to support Morgantown’s unhoused population.
“That heartbreak, the disappointment, that rage you feel? It’s tinder. We weren’t kidding when we said ‘housing, not handcuffs.’ We mean it still when we say ‘no housing, no peace.’”
