Honolulu Council expands sit-lie ban

Honolulu is expanding its ban on sitting and lying down in public places beyond commercial areas of the city, despite Mayor Kirk Caldwell's veto. The City Council voted 6-3 Wednesday to override the veto.

The island first prohibited reclining on sidewalks in commercial parts of Waikiki, after the tourism industry complained that the city's problem with homelessness was deterring some visitors from returning to its iconic beaches. In part because of the high cost of living in Hawaii, homelessness is a persistent problem throughout the islands.

Caldwell vetoed the sit-lie expansion bill last month because it took the ban from commercial zones to areas off sidewalks, such as the bank of a canal where a small tent city emerged. That could make the city vulnerable to legal challenges, and he doesn't want to jeopardize current city laws that bar sitting and lying down in Waikiki and other parts of Oahu, he said.

The majority of the City Council said expanding the ban brings parity to neighborhoods that have seen an influx of homeless people since the ban went into effect in Waikiki.

Members of the public who opposed the bill said the city should be more focused on providing housing and services than criminalizing homelessness.

"This is such a crisis," said David Cannell, 62, who was previously homeless for eight years. "It's a city of squalor. This isn't a third world country ... Everyone has to go somewhere to get some sleep, at least. So where do they go?"

The Associated Press