Salt Lake Tribune: ‘Cruel’ and ‘unconstitutional’: Facing fierce backlash over new anti-camping proposal, SLC Council vows revisions
- Kseniya Kniazeva
- May 6
- 1 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
By Tony Semerad | May 7, 2026, 2:00 p.m.
Scores of Salt Lake City residents say they fear a new camping ordinance under review at City Hall threatens to turn regular people who are down on their luck into potential criminals.
More than 70 people spoke out before the City Council late Tuesday in hours of testimony largely against the draft rules, with many of them voicing worries over a provision that would add sleeping overnight in RVs or cars to the city’s definition of illegal encampments subject to police enforcement.
“It is not only cruel,” said longtime Rose Park resident Alicia Baker, adding that Utah’s capital seemed poised to criminalize homelessness with the ordinance. “It is unconstitutional to pass laws that target, harass and make achieving stability impossible for people living in vehicular homes.”
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[THE NOMAD ALLIANCE PUT OUT A CALL TO ACTION ON ALL OUR SOCIAL MEDIA REQUESTING FOLKS TO COME ATTEND AND SPEAK OUT AGAINST THIS ORDINANCE CRIMINALIZING HOMELESSNESS FURTHER, AND OUTLAWING PEOPLE LIVING IN CARS. 78 PEOPLE REGISTERED TO SPEAK, AND TWO OVERFLOW ROOMS WERE OPENED FOR ALL WHO ATTENDED. THE NOMAD ALLIANCE TRANSPORTED FOUR CARLOADS FULL OF UNSHELTERED FOLK TO SPEAK AT THE MEETING AS WELL. AFTER THIS MEETING THIS ORDINANCE WAS TABLED UNTIL AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION FOR THOSE LIVING IN CARS COULD BE CREATED, AND THE NOMAD ALLIANCE PRESENTED THE CITY COUNCIL WITH A SAFE PARKING SITE PLAN AND BUDGET.]
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