(Written by Joe Nelson)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Members of the Morgantown community have voiced their views on a potential camping ban focused on the downtown area.
Representatives from Main Street Morgantown, West Virginia University, as well as Morgantown area unsheltered homeless advocates and many others, each expressed a combination of approval and disapproval of the proposal first brought forth by City Councilor Louise “Weezie” Michael earlier in July as part of the council’s regular meeting Tuesday. Close to three dozen residents or organization representatives were in attendance, some with varying waves of support for the proposal and opposition, with over a dozen willing to address the council as part of a proposal that hasn’t even received a formal ordinance.
“On behalf of our board of directors, we implore the City Manager, Mayor (Jenny Selin), and City Council, to take immediate actions to make our city safer and stem the enablement of addiction and criminal activity,” said Main Street Morgantown President Mark Downs, who read a letter in support of the camping ban proposal, which was signed by over 50 people. “We strongly urge that clear boundaries should be pursued,” he said.
The proposal to implement a camping ban focused around downtown Morgantown stems from what would be an expansion of Sec. 941.05(c) of the Morgantown City Code, which bans camping on residential properties, city streets, alleyways, and sidewalks. This was presented by Michael as part of an effort to address resident and small business owner concerns based on multiple reports of open drug use, vandalism, and theft that have occurred over the course of a year plus in the downtown area. As part of an effort to emphasize safety, a similar message from Main Street Morgantown representatives was also expressed by WVU via a letter signed by President Gordon Gee that was presented to the council.
“The University strongly supports a serious and thoughtful discussion about the proposal in the Committee of the Whole meeting, as proposed by Council member Michael,” WVU officials said in a written statement. .
“Our focus is on the students’ safety as we head into a new semester, we stand ready to support the city however we can,” said WVU Police Chief Sherry St. Clair, who addressed the council. “Our pledge is to continue to be your partner in making Morgantown and Mon County a safe place to live,” she said.
Representatives from social service organizations such as Project Rainbow, along with Morgantown area residents who work with unhoused individuals, each voiced opposition to the proposal on several grounds.
This comes less than a day after Mountain State Justice formally expressed disapproval of the potential expansion of the camping ban aspects of the Morgantown City Code based on moral and situational factors. Those who spoke out against the ordinance described a situation where over 100 unsheltered individuals (based on the 2023 Point in Time count) were unhoused in the area that’s fresh off of having financial struggles related to social service firm Bartlett Housing Solutions. A situation that some residents feel must be addressed before an expansion of the city code is considered.
“I am appalled and disappointed by the suggestion of a camping ban by this council,” said Rainbow House Board President Erin Shelton. “Camping bans are cruel, ineffective, and inhumane, and I’m asking you to once again to please consider any of the more productive approaches that we, and others, have asked for at these meetings,” she said.
For the approximately two dozen various Morgantown residents, volunteers, and social service workers who each expressed similar sentiments that have been expressed over the past several months related to social services and unsheltered homeless, more services need to be provided. Since then, calls for the city to fund initiatives such as locker installations, a 24/7, 365-day-a-year triage shelter, and efforts to increase affordable housing options have been proposed, with funding for a triage shelter and progress towards funding a free Mountain Line bus route the only efforts making progress.
With a lack of perceived efforts from city officials, the call to find ways to address hygiene and other needs only increased in intensity.
“Even the argument that there are crimes being committed, I know someone said that (tonight), at the last meeting, the (Morgantown) Police Chief said that we have seen stability in the crime rate, that was said,” said Morgantown resident and Mon Health Right volunteer Savannah Lusk in regards to concerns made by other residents. “We can come together and make a solution, but banning camping isn’t an option,” she said.
Members of Morgantown City Council in attendance at the meeting (Councilor Brian Butcher was not in attendance, and Councilor Danielle Trumble attended remotely) each expressed a varying level of frustration and concern over the lack of speedy progress towards unsheltered homeless concerns.
Not only for the exhaustive effort between the city, Monongalia County officials, and social service agencies as part of Hazel’s House of Hope, but also for the multiple crimes that have expanded outside of downtown Morgantown. This included reports from WVU of the harassment of students across campus and break-ins at Sunnyside neighborhood apartments, some of which were done by people without Morgantown residencies, and multiple arrest warrants. With other municipalities in West Virginia following similar sentiments, Michael, with different expressions of concern from the other councilors in attendance, expressed a need to at least consider an expansion of the city camping ban while addressing social service needs at the same time.
“I realize that this is a complex, but from the beginning of getting on council, my main focus has been the safety and well-being of the city,” said Michael. “The things that I have seen over the past year have concerned me, I just want to stay focused and want people to feel like they can come downtown,” she said.
No formal measure was approved by the council to place a potential camping ban ordinance on the agenda.