by Travis Mateer
Meet Homeless Brad, the urban camper looking for “consistency” in how the new urban camping ordinance is being enforced. You see, Brad has been ticketed because of this ordinance, and he thinks the problem is the INCONSISTENCY of the enforcement.
Brad Carlson, an unhoused person who is among the roughly 10 defendants to be cited with the new municipal infractions so far, argues that enforcement of those rules has been uneven and inconsistent with the letter of the new law.
“The mayor is also out of compliance,” Carlson said, speaking before a municipal court hearing on his citations last month.
While I am mildly entertained by Brad’s bold move to shit-talk the Mayor in court, I don’t think his argument is going to get him anywhere.
For example, were I to use Brad’s argument in MY case of allegedly driving under the influence of demon weed, I would point out that MANY cops failed to pull me over for having only one headlight FOR MONTHS, but that doesn’t alleviate my responsibility to ensure my vehicle had two functional headlights. It just shows that cops ARE selective in how they enforce laws. Because, if they WEREN’T, then EVERYONE would be getting arrested ALL THE TIME.
At this point, for Brad, I’m wondering what he thinks he’s going to accomplish. In May, when the Missoulian wrote about his plight, this idiot made it clear that he was INTENTIONALLY pushing law enforcement to deal with him as an act of civil disobedience.
Carlson said the decision to stand his ground was an “act of civil disobedience” to point out the inconsistency of city policies.
Carlson was released and returned to his camp, where he said he was immediately threatened with a rearrest for trespassing. He said he then packed his items and moved across the river near the Milwaukee Trail.
After Carlson was moved along, he had an aggressive encounter with a community member that led HIM to being arrested. What a wonderful use of taxpayer money!
The Municipal judge who I’ve written about, and who threatened me from the bench when I appeared on my FIRST alleged violation of a protection order, was much nicer to Brad last month as he told him how to file a counter-claim against the city. I guess I’m not the right kind of homeless man to garner the sympathy of the courts.
During a hearing on his citations last month in municipal court, Judge Eli Parker eventually continued the hearing to allow Carlson, representing himself, to file a counterclaim against the city. In that filing, which Carlson served to the city last week, he argues the city has failed to uphold its end of the bargain before it started enforcing the ordinance.
“Mayor Andrea Davis did not create a resource guide in the form of a map or list that has met all the requirements” of the ordinance, he wrote. “Many buffer zones are incorrect and some do not exist in the ordinance.”
He also alleges the city failed to post a notice where he was camped that stated “possible remedies to avoid abatement” or a time frame for compliance, as the ordinance requires. His response also notes the citations referred to being within 50 feet of the “high water mark” of the city — while the ordinance forbids camping “within 50 feet of the water’s edge.”
In this valley of over 80,000 people, Homeless Brad should understand that only the most brainwashed want to fight for his right to trash the river. Even those who are ideologically supportive of his plight will FREAK OUT if their precious parks get invaded, like Bonner Park in the University District.
Later in the article, Judge Parker acknowledge the ELEPHANT in the room, referencing the actions of City Council “across the street”.
“Just to address an elephant in the room, I think that there is a lot of political disagreement with this ordinance,” Parker said. “Some people think it doesn’t go far enough, some people don’t think it should exist.”
Referring to the nearby city council chambers, he added, “That would be something to be raised across the street.”
I’ll select one more quote from the Missoulian article platforming Homeless Brad because it identifies the troubling geographic location where HALF the ordinances were written.
Copies of available citations reviewed by the Missoulian show about half were issued to people camping by the Russell Street Bridge. Three citations were issued for camping at McLeod Park, while other locations included the Madison Street foot bridge and areas near the Johnson Street Shelter and along the irrigation ditch west of Southgate Mall.
One of them was dismissed for failing to make an allegation of an action outlawed under the ordinance. “Camping within a city park” is only forbidden if it violates the specific time or location restrictions. In another case, a person admitted to violating the ordinance. For most of the remaining citations, the defendant has yet to appear.
The Russell Bridge area is where I think the most drug trafficking is occurring, and I say that after locating and writing about a young homeless man the Missoulian could only play the victim card for last year. Here’s the post: Missoulian Profiles Homeless Friend Of Meth Dealer For Propaganda Article Omitting Substantive References To Illegal Drugs.
For more of my coverage of this issue, here are some articles from the last two years to check out:
How Many Different Conversations On “Urban Camping” Are We Even Having? (June 6th, 2023)
Why I’m Supporting The Temporary Measure Of Homeless “Urban Camping” Whack-A-Mole In Public Parks (June 29th, 2023)
The Missoula Current’s “Reporting” On Monday Night’s Urban Camping Debate (July 11th, 2023)
On Being VERY Unimpressed By The City Club Drug Trafficking Presentation, Plus URBAN CAMPING SWEEPS SO SAD!!! (July 11th, 2023)
Cleaning Abandoned Urban Camping Sites Plus The Doom Loop Walking Tour (August 25th, 2023)
Mayor Davis’ Bold Indecisiveness On Urban Camping Plus Mayor Hess’ Public Comment Tantrum Plus Fuck Missoula (November 13th, 2023)
Missoula’s Urban Camping Impotency Continues With A New Mayor Kicking The Can (December 13th, 2023)
Watching The Supreme Court’s Homeless Policy Showdown With Oregon (April 23rd, 2024)
If Wasting Time Was The Goal, Then Missoula’s Urban Camping Working Group Was A GREAT Success! (May 2nd, 2024)
Anticipating The Virtue-Signaling Response To City Council’s Urban Camping Ordinance (June 24th, 2024)
The Urban Crisis Camping Ordinance Passed Despite A Literary Threat From Stephanie Land (June 25th, 2024)
Missoula’s Response To Urban Camping Will Cost Tax Payers A Million Dollars Next Year (August 1st, 2024)
Yep, that’s A LOT of coverage on a controversial issue from a perspective you won’t get ANYWHERE ELSE in this pathetic local media environment. That’s why I ask for YOUR help by offering the chance to donate to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). And stay tuned, because I’ll be writing about trouble at a local non-profit this week that I guarantee NO ONE ELSE in local media will touch until the damage has been done, so stay tuned.
And, as always, THANKS FOR READING!