Houston City Council votes to expand Civility Ordinance

HOUSTON - On Wednesday, Houston City Council voted 14-2 to expand the city's Civility Ordinance to include 24-hour enforcement in Downtown and East Downtown.

"We you leave here daily, you see the sick, particularly the mentally ill, living under bridges and in our parks," said Mayor John Whitmire at Wednesday’s city council meeting. "There’s a plan. No one is going to be taken off the streets unless there is a bed and a plan to get them mental health services."

What is the Civility Ordinance?

The backstory:

Currently, the ordinance bans people from sitting, lying down, or placing belongings on sidewalks from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. in designated areas. The proposed/new expansion would make those restrictions apply around the clock in Downtown and EaDo. 

The rules include exemptions for people experiencing medical emergencies, individuals with disabilities using mobility devices, and those attending events like festivals or parades. 

The proposed change is part of a pilot program involving Mayor John Whitmire's administration, the Houston Office of Emergency Management, and the Department of Housing and Community Development. 

"This is a problem that has been going on for decades, not just in Houston but across the nation," said Larry Satterwhite, the director of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the City of Houston. "Right here in our area, we lose hundreds of people every year on the streets. They die under bridges. They die on sidewalks. They die under bridges."  

The Civility Ordinance is already enforced in several areas, including the Central Business District, Midtown, Old Sixth Ward, Avondale, Hyde Park, East Downtown, and Historic Near Northside.

The other side:

During Tuesday and Wednesday's city council meeting, city leaders and residents both expressed their support or concerns about the expanded ordinance.

Satterwhite referred to the change as a humanitarian effort and not a law enforcement effort. 

"We are trying to get in front of them, build that relationship. Tell them we have help. We have offers of hope. We can them there, but also hold the line because we have to be accountable. Otherwise some will never take our help," said Satterwhite. 

Council members Tarahsa Jackson and Abbie Kamin both voted "no" on the change to the ordinance. 

"I'm concerned about pushing to other areas. I understand we are not prepared to do this citywide," said Council Member Kamin. 

"I feel it dehumanizes and criminalizes the homeless population in the city. And on the flip side of it, how it says personal belongings can’t be on the sidewalk, I could get fined by having my backpack on the ground or not on my lap while waiting on a metro bus," said John Nicks, a resident in the Heights who spoke at a city council meeting on Tuesday.

Adding neighborhoods to the Civility Ordinance

What you can do:

For a neighborhood to be added under Houston's Civility Ordinance, residents must go through a formal citizen petition process. 

To qualify, the petition must meet the following requirements: 

• It must include signatures from property owners whose property represents 20% of the area being proposed.
• At least 100 adults (age 18 or older) who live in the proposed area must sign.
• All signatures must be collected within a 60-day period.
• The completed petition must be submitted to the city secretary within 90 days of the first signature.