Kentucky GOP’s New Bill Decriminalizes Use of Deadly Force Against the Unhoused
Kentucky GOP’s New Bill Decriminalizes Use of Deadly Force Against the Unhoused
“I’m just ashamed that this bill even came into fruition,” a Lexington council member said.
"Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
-Some Socialist Groomer Theater Kid
I'd bet any amount of money that most of not all of this bill's co-sponsors profess (at least surrounding election time) to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and a striving to be more Christlike. And all of them seemingly impervious to cognitive dissonance.
I'm an atheist who believes strongly in separation of church and state, but I would dearly love for this to be appended to the law as an amendment. The place is already a theocratic nuthouse so might as well use that to do some good for a change.
Well The Onion is damn near prophetic sometimes.
https://www.theonion.com/nextdoor-user-comes-right-out-and-asks-if-it-okay-to-se-1851137007
Also: Fuck you Republicans.
Well The Onion is damn near prophetic sometimes.
Got a chuckle out of the article when I read this part...
At press time, a fierce debate had broken out in the post’s comments after detractors warned the blaze would be too loud.
From what I've seen of people talking about the homeless, that's absolutely what the problem would be.
oh look Republicans wanting to kill Americans again
No one is safe, unless they haven't been born yet.
They are killing the mothers of the unborn, so dunno about that.
And plenty of them want another civil war, the original one killed more Americans than each other war up to Vietnam combined.
This proposed law also has a three strikes law in it. Life in prison without parole for 3 felonies.
Also, apparently child defendants aren't allowed to have a jury? That's not highlighted, so it's current law there.
This entire thing is an authoritarian wet dream. Create outlaws, and then turn them into slaves or bodies.
It also bans charitable organizations from paying more than $5000 in bail.
For violent felonies, it doesn't allow them to pay bail at all.
Which means anyone could provoke anyone to violence and they would be jailed with no hope of escape. Including ostensibly a homeless person by destroying their stuff.
Children arent allowed to have juries in other states too. I got told repeatedly during my Juvenile case that children don't have rights. They fucked me good for a miniscule amount of Marijuana. I'm talking, fucking years of my childhood. I don't want to say the state because it might out my identity but I'll give you a hint, its another shithole state that comes to mind when you think of fucking cousins, much like Kentucky. Glad to be out of that part of the country forever now.
Why do we hate our children so? I'm sorry you went through that.
Had similar late childhood. Put on probation for weed possession, then would get locked up for every minor infraction. A local police officer would follow me around whenever he saw me, make up excuses for pulling me over, and search my car. Got locked up for 6 months for being 30 minutes late to school once... because I got pulled over on the way to school. I'm guessing there was some kind of graft going on with the probation officers, judges, and detention centers, because they would give out such long sentences for such minor offenses.
You see, Republicans want to protect children so clearly they cannot be seen by a dangerous jury.
I'm really hoping there's another area of law that says kids can't be put in prison or if they are then they do need a jury.
But realistically I'm waiting for the whole parenting responsibility of the state argument to drop.
I was homeless just North of their border so the police here in Ohio set me up with a fake felony to keep me in jail. A dude stopped his truck in front of me while I was Doordashing, cornered me into a fist fight, and then told the police I hit him with my car. The people in the car behind me also backed him up. It never happened, so why was it so simple for me to be locked in jail indefinitely with my and lawyer telling me COVID suspended the fair and speedy trial? I cannot handle being in a noisy environment and have avoidant personality disorder, so I eventually caved to the plea deal. Now here I am nearly 2 years out with an ok job and my own place but I need to come up with $1100 before the end of the month for my fines or go back to court.
I'm convinced they're just trying to create a slave class. If you are an easy target, they'll take you and mark your record so you have to be cheap labor for three upper class.
How it is people could possibly believe in the legitimacy of legal systems knowing how they only make it easier for evil people to victimize others instead of protecting them is beyond me.
I am so sorry for what you went through.
It's easy. Nobody gets to see what actually happened. They see what Fox news tells them and nothing of what goes on in the Hamilton county jail. More than likely nobody is even interested. They either have their own problems or are comfortable enough im their life to think I deserved what I got. There's even people who are such rent seekers that they think I deserved it simply by virtue of not paying to live in a house.
Nobody is gonna help me except my roommate.
I bet the creators of this law claim to be Christian & mistakenly think they are going to spend eternity in Heaven.
It always amazes me that so many self-professed Christians have almost as much disrespect for their religion as I do.
I bet the creators of this law claim to be Christian
I bet they also claim to be "pro life"...
Pro-life = pro-forced birth.
Laws like this are how republicans hide the evidence of ruinous policy decisions: the people whose lives are destroyed are swept of to prison where they cant vote or be seen.
Oops wrong god
Bad Samaritans
I feel like the biggest issue is what would amount to homeless corralling, and if they violated the law by living outside the designated zone, they'd be fined. The state knows they wouldn't be able to pay, and thus 90+ days of prison labor.
"The proposed legislation grants cities the authority to designate specific areas for unhoused individuals. If individuals are found outside of the designated area, residing in a tent, hut, temporary shelter, or vehicle with the intention to sleep, they may face misdemeanor charges, leading to a fine of $5,000 and a potential imprisonment of up to 90 days."
Don't get me wrong, the deadly force bits are definitely worse, but I feel like what I quoted above is the true motivation.
Your vehicle is your private property, so this is saying a legally parked person on their own private property who intends to fall asleep can be punished with a 5k fine and 90 days in jail.
No more going out to your car over break to take a nap.
Or pulling over on a long drive
There is a simple test to determine if someone is living in their car and in violation or taking a nap and legally ok.
Do they look homeless or are they a minority? Also known as "White is right." test or "You know porn or art when you see it." test. No need to add additional training to properly enforce the law, previous transferrable training is standard.
Ah, so the Sanctuary Cities that preceed the Bell Riots.
Ah, so the Sanctuary Cities that preceed the Bell Riots
Funny how reality mimics fiction, or more accurately, fiction predicts future reality.
Hmmm. This feels eerily similar to an episode of star trek deep space nine.
Hmmm. This feels eerily similar to an episode of star trek deep space nine.
I was just thinking about that episode with the Bell riots when I read that comment as well.
Concentration camps for homeless people
😡😡😡 🤦🤦🤦
Because nothing says 'qualified immunity' quite like gunning down the homeless
I can't believe I wanted to live in America fifteen years ago. Now I wanna stay the hell away. Y'all are unhinged.
All my life I thought y’all was a uniquely American phrase.
We were entirely unhinged in 2008. You might have been buying into Obama's Hope and Change rhetoric, but that was all just campaigning nonsense. Obama is a total neoliberal and kept most of Bush's policies.
We were in lockstep on the path to fascism even then, though media only admitted it once Trump walked away with the Republican Party.
The problem with saying everyone is a fascist is it desensitizes everyone so they don't know what an actual fascist is.
Unless that was your plan all along...
Are you a fascist?
You sound like a fascist, so you're probably a fascist. If you're probably a fascist that means you're definitely a fascist.
When will you stop being a fascist?
And this is the most disgusting thing I've read today. The world's moving in a great direction /s
The most disgusting thing you've read so far today
So true...
Kill a person I don't like... drag them into tent into my back yard... claim it was leagal deadly force against the unhoused on my land.
The perfect murder.
unconstitutional but since when have the "law and order" police not pissed on that piece of paper?
Pissing on the Constitution is what the dogwhistle "law and order" has always meant.
Not that the unhoused deserve this--it's vile, violent, and fascist.
Not that this bill will pass, even in Kentucky, or be upheld by the courts, even in Kentucky.
But the fact that this decriminalizes shooting homeless people for anyone means that 100% someone would use it to shoot their neighbor, probably on purpose, while claiming they thought he was homeless.
The cynic in me sees this as a clear play to jostle the Overton Window. Sure this won't pass, but will the people who suggested it face consequences? How much heat actually comes their way?
Now they've checked the temperature and got away with it, they can try some other reprehensible thing and see if the backlash is manageable.
Repeat until hell on earth.
True. There are quite a few people who are actively looking for a legal loophole to kill someone. Preferably a minority, but they might not be that picky. You can find lots of these people on gun forums.
The party of "Pro-Life"...
How do you know if someone is “unhoused”. Does this apply to anyone who is outside?
Sure. That's why on Purge Day you'll want to lock the doors of your luxurious gated house and not go out until it's over.
Main problem here is that the legislation appears to have made every day into Purge Day. They'll need to clarify that, I guess.
They define it, so anyone who actually reads the law can see what it means legally. Then if the person leasing or who owns the property believes the homeless person is threatening them they can shoot them.
Now I'm not trying to call you out for not reading the specific law. I didn't include it here either for the same reason. The problem is very few people will go read that law. So the day this passes, the clock is ticking to a black teenager getting shot with this law as a cover. It'll be just another way to make people tune out. Dickhead claims the victim was homeless and aggressive. And just like pulling up juvenile history, or a picture with a bong, most of the country will tune out.
I always feel threatened and since I believe in impermanence, I see and believe everyone is homeless. Step on my lawn, mofo!!!!!!
"How do we solve the housing crises?" Kentucky: "Thats easy! Just aim for the center of mass"
After reading the article, it's 100% about creating a slavery pool. Murdering hobos is just icing on the cake.
That sounds like very bloody icing. I don't think I want that icing
The bill also gives people the ability to justify use of “defensive force” upon an unhoused person in instances of criminal trespass, including “unlawful camping” on the owner’s property. This would allow property owners to use deadly force against unhoused people on their property without facing criminal consequences.
I hope this bill has some "defensive force" applied to it before it becomes a law.
I hope the people who vote for this end up homeless, so they can experience "defensive force" personally.
Imagine if this passed.
If you kick your SO out of your house, and they agree to leave, they're now instantly unhoused, right? And your honor, they brought all their stuff and were sleeping on my property.
Could landlords come in, swat style, and execute you the moment eviction procedures go through?
If someone is not inside a house, are they not unhoused? If their house burned down 5 minutes ago they certainly no longer have a house. If anyone is not in sight of their house, they could plausibly be unhoused, whether they know it or not. Besides, there's no way for you to know their housing status. So all campers on your property sound like fair game.
What constitutes camping? Being inside a tent? Sleeping? Bringing stuff onto the property? If a company sets up a party tent at the wrong address, could you mow them down?
They won't
That's what those 'defence rifles' are used for. Got it.
Time to arm the homeless, I guess.
They can’t very well claim we can’t. Maybe we can do combo Soup Kitchens/Gun giveaways.
Jesus fucking Christ, Kentucky
Pro Life!
Pro Life until birth.
It's more fun when they can run and plead for those lives, I guess.
This is the Christian Nation they want to build.
Murder the disadvantaged, without consequence.
Just like Jesus would have done! /s
For your edification Behind The Bastards did a two parter on how Capitalism Ate Christianity, which I'm pretty sure what happens with any faith that stays in power for too long. (On Youtube: Chapter One, Chapter Two )
This is to say it was an actual conspiracy of plutocrats to turn Christianity into the pro-America, anti-communist hyperviolent mess that Evangelical Christian nationalism is today, since the Great Depression and the New Deal pissed off the industrialists.
Religion is what its always been.
a means of control and of manufacturing supportive fervor. a means of generating others that you no longer have to view as human beings, and last but not least, a means of justifying vileness and violence against those you detest.
used to be kings and popes that the fervor was directed at.
Now its fascists and idiots (and fascist idiots)
I think the headline writers need some lessons in political antagonism. This should be "New GOP bill legalizes murder of vulnerable people such as disabled American veterans." "Pro-military" party? Patriotic party? Thank you for your service, lol. We're really pro-imperialism. Now that we have destroyed you, we just want you to go away.
The GOP is desperately trying to make everything outside of being a wealthy white male conservative illegal.
While trying their hardest to keep everyone, even white males, poor and uneducated.
The Republican speaker of the house tells us we can’t fully commit to Ukraine until we address the issues in our own home.
This is what they envision when they talk about problems here at home. They want to be able to persecute/harm/kill anyone they perceive as lesser whether that be a homeless person or an LGBT person, or other such minority.
Fuck these christofascist monsters, Jesus Christ himself would be disgusted. Care for the poor and the sick? Nah that’s woke Jesus, conservative Jesus cheers you on as you bash a person in the face simply for having less money than you
As I see it, the Kentucky GOP member(s) that supported this bill stated their intentions, the unhoused now have every valid reason to protect themselves against this mortal threat with appropriate force and it would be self-defense, and anyone who views the unhoused as part of their community does as well and it would be community defense.
Until appropriate negative consequences are a possibility from people standing up for themselves, the bad guys will keep winning.
What are they going to use to protect themselves when they can barely afford to eat?
This is a strategy question without a one-paragraph answer and a bit out of the scope of this post.
I've lived in close proximity to many unhoused people for years, not everyone that can't afford to join the ridiculous housing or rental markets is struggling to get food in their mouth. I've known many personally, they're not all starving maniacs like the stereotypes. Some have jobs and cell phones, many have belongings, things they've found, been given, or were gifted. Many are nice and happy to tell you their story in exchange for some respect.
In fact, my perhaps unorthodox opinion is that left should be uniting with this group rather than trying to convince well off liberals to resist vague threats of fascism.
Don't worry the second amendment fanboys will be there I am sure to protect us.
This law works both ways, right?
Once passed they will realise it's too vague, how can you tell if someone is homeless? It will be a lot easier when they pass the amendment which allows for killing people to are of the darker or more uppity variety. /S
At the time the person entered my property they were not in a home. So I identified them as homeless and killed them.
Back in 1990, San Diego CA downtown was a run down area. As a young man, I saw and help the area flourish. But that was the whole gentrification thing. I, a poor minority person of color helped make the place awesome...for someone else to buy and for me and my family to leave. However, as I left during the pandemic downtown seems to have grown back to its old drug and homeless habits. Tent city once again, but this time the are is unaffordable for anyone to try and help clean it up. It's a nice place to live but now the question is, if only rich people live there, who will bridge the homeless people over back to humanity? Right? If there's no bridge class, then the only solution is to get rid of them by force. That, in the eyes of the rich who live there. If you're not rich and barely getting by, you're basically the help.
Don't put work into anything you don't own.
My fellow murricans, it really a free nation if we can’t come together to shoot homeless people in the streets?
This articles title is doing more dodging then Neo in the matrix, It is a bill making it legal to shoot a type of person if found outside their assigned ghetto. Not using the word "bum", "homeless" or "camper" is doing no one favours other then to obfuscate the reality of this.
Why did this distinction was made in the first place? Do cops in Kentucky have a habit of gunning down homeless people?
No, it's so ordinary people like you and me can do it. Guess they were jealous the police were having all the fun.
Cops have always had a habit of killing the homeless. Also they have a habit of killing the homed. Thanks to qualified immunity in the USA, a cop just has to feel threatened, not actually be threatened, to justify the use of deadly force.
Licenses to Kill for everyone! Seriously though, can you really make murder legal, and not face any federal consequences?
They make murder legal but abortion illigal because it is murder
Once this law passes, I think you're in the clear as long as you get the abortion on your own property and claim self defense.
Kind of like how in the south everything is “Coke,” but there’s different flavors like “Sprite Coke” and “Orange Coke?” (I’m not from the south so I may have gotten that wrong)
I don’t even see how this changes anything. The cops kill people all day every day and never see consequences besides paid vacations. The legal system is a (dark) joke on everyone but the rich.
In the US the federal government can only prosecute you under specific circumstances. Generally it's going to be the state, or even your county.
Typically states are allowed to set their own criminal laws as it's considered within their powers under the 10th Amendment without federal interference. But they can't pass a law that would violate the US constitution. This one I'm sure would lead to at least a couple of constitutional arguments, one being that if the state used execution to punish illegal camping it would definitely violate the 8th Amendment, and they can't just get around that by outsourcing enforcement to individuals. Even this very Republican supreme court might now allow that.
But to answer the question, if the state wanted to just straight up legalize murder for everyone I think they'd be able to do it without issue.
Oh they've had stand your ground laws for a while now. This is just a new way to get most Americans to tune out. Police say they were homeless and aggressive.
Supply Side Jesus strikes again
Finally I can't hunt the homeless for sport, god bless America!
too bad everything is left up to individual countries mean states to decide laws
maybe strong federal laws and making states comply to it and not allow fifty united states to individually decide on every issue would keep this from happening
I don't want Kentucky deciding on my state's laws.
They don't have the votes. I think that is the point of a strong federalist system.
So if Trump wins you’d want him to be able to enforce his will on the states?
Empowering people at the local level would do more to help than a top down approach.
This is not a state vs. federal issue. This is fucking genocide.
And here I was misled my whole life into thinking that the US is a Christian nation. This is so many layers of evil. For a country that nonchalantly drops bombs worth hundreds of thousand on poor people half-way across the world, it is unwilling to take care of its own. Why oh why would we ever adopt your values and morals when you are bad to your own?
The US is a Christian nation. Just they follow Supply Side Jesus not you know the brown skinned socialist Jesus.
https://www.beliefnet.com/news/2003/09/the-gospel-of-supply-side-jesus.aspx
That was an amazing share. Thank you! I'm so glad to feel less lonely in this realization.
To expand on this for others:
We're only mythologically a "Christian nation" insofar that a state sponsored religion keeps masses in line like a shared and encouraged interest in football.
As a country, the U.S's philosophies are basically the antithesis of the entire Sermon on the Mount.
The really fun hole in that State-sponsored claim is that very same sermon where Jesus Christ, in the flesh, warns against "taking oaths." Because being torn between "sinning under orders" and going back on your word is a nasty business. See Also "...But I say, love your enemies."
Yet our empire is thrilled to have children blindly "pledging allegiance" to a flag, and any silly thing it might compel them to do, and people idolize this flag (idolatry) and conflate the cross with glorification of warfare. . . It's amazing what people can justify if they keep their Bibles shut.
And the whole world is watching.
To rest my case:
Remember when Lucifer tempted Jesus with "authority over all the nations of the world." Heh, we must remember it's not a temptation unless the tempter actually possesses the asset in question.
The "no, they're not real Christians" assertion holds plenty of water here, and all the God-bandying by these stuffed suits and their mindslaves is a big psy-op that's been conducted in various forms throughout history whenever church and state get snuggly.
It's made infinitely clear and simple what is expected of a follower of Christ, so that we may see who bears good fruit, and who makes the world a sad, miserable place with their influence.
Christianity has always been about hate and oppression I don't know why everyone keeps getting confused about this
Kentucky republiQans: no low is low enough.
The party of cruelty and hate.
so fucking murican
Contribute to capitalism OR DIE!
And I thought the link about the pastor getting in shit for offering shelter from the cold was peak fuckin murica.
But hey, finally, the honest truth! Never thought we'd see the day. Hateful shit system, making us into shit people. Guess what dickheads, there are better ways to live. literally all of them. it's over for you anyway, AI is here and it's too late to make a stand now.
I thought that Republican lawmaker was homeless! Woops! At least I didn't break any Laws!
as a staunch political satirist. This amuses me.
"dont like homeless people? Kill them."
jokes aside though there is nothing more infuriating then the "silent removal" of a problem. It's great that you think homeless people don't deserve rights, how about you start by not giving them any as opposed to pretending that they have them, while actively making their existence worse for no reason other than public image.
If you're gonna be a dick, at least be forward about it.
They already don't have rights, but the laws are different from city to city. In some places they can't be fed in public and people get arrested for giving them food. They can't be on the sidewalk. They're obviously not allowed to fall asleep as long as they're unhoused. Plus parking restrictions created specifically to prevent car camping. Taking trash from dumpsters is considered theft. You can't use a restroom without buying something and cities have taken out all or most public bathrooms, so it becomes a crime just to relieve themselves. Idk, the list is pretty endless.
honestly the car camping restrictions are my biggest peeve. You wanna evict me in the morning sure. But fuck you i'll sleep in my car if i damn well please.
I've never understood why people seem to be content with society being for the "average person" as a certifiably not average person myself it's actually insane. Literally just want to mind my own business, and it would actually be easier to mind everybody elses business.
I mean it's kinda been done... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_4J4uor3JE
So it is real life politicians imitating a parody of an insane politician.
There's a Dead Kennedys song for everything the conservatives do to the normal people.
It doesn’t even make any difference whether Trump is president of Default Country in actuality or not, because he has been president of its soul for decades already.
Nixon-Reagan is the forever president of the US
I liked black Reagan the best of the Reagans personally.
This is beyond fucked up
I just realized I saw this movie
Anyone else think that "uNhOuSEd" is a term thought up by spoiled white teenagers who want to feel morally superior because they're offended on behalf of homeless people, while said homeless people COULD NOT GIVE A SHIT how you refer to them, just gimme a sandwich
Not only that, "uNhOuSEd" sounds WAY too close to "unhinged", you stupid cunts 😂
Edit 👇 Behold the children lol
Imagine inventing a person and then being mad at a fake person that exists in your head.
Blocked. You should think about the experience and perspective of the other before opening your fucking mouth.
You're only proving yourself wrong. Just say you hate poor people.
Sounds like Kyle Rittenhouse is gonna get his mom to drive him to Kentucky. Seriously though, this is fucking disgusting legislation. Homeless people are dehumanized enough but Kentucky is on the verge of legalizing hunting them for sport. What vile pieces of shit those 45 Republican co-sponsors are.
So they can kill squatters? Next step, people who are late on rent?
Sure! Then they can have an estate sale so they can recoup their "losses!"
/s because I'm pretty sure it's needed, sadly
What the smart psychopaths will do is march up to them with a gun and provoke the squatter to try to block it. Now they "fear for their life" and steadily force is justified. Pull a Rittenhouse.
This is supposed to be absurd commentary but…it doesn’t even feel too far off