The City Council of Columbia, South Carolina, Isn't Sure if it Voted to Kick Homeless People Out of Downtown Or Not

Last week we reported that the city council in Columbia, South Carolina, had essentially outlawed homelessness by passing an "Emergency Homeless Response" plan that gave homeless people in downtown Columbia one of two choices: They could be shuttled to a temporary winter shelter on the outskirts of town, or they could go to jail. It turns out that this is not true. Or, actually, it might be true. Basically, the Columbia City Council is not sure if it's true.

The story goes like this: At an Aug. 13 city council meeting, Councilman Cameron Runyan introduced an "Emergency Homeless Response" plan on behalf of downtown business owners. The plan, which you can download here [PDF], has many provisions, one of which is the early opening of an emergency shelter on the outskirts of town; another provision empowers local police to remove all homeless people from the downtown area, either by shuttling them to the emergency shelter, or jailing them; a third provision calls for a partnership with a local ministry to help offset the cost of feeding and sheltering homeless people in the Columbia area.