Dozens of protesters took to the streets of Las Vegas Monday to protest a strict new homeless ordinance set to take effect in February.
The ordinance makes it illegal to sleep on public streets and sidewalks if there are shelter beds available.
“I do not have a simple answer to homelessness. No one else has come up with it, and I’m not going to either. But, definitely not fining and imprisoning them and making it harder for them to get a job or get on a lease," protester Katie Krikorian said.
Violators of the new rules could face both a fine and or jail time.
“It shows how far removed from real society the City Council is if they think imprisoning people, or fining them, is helping them," Krikorian said.
The protest remained peaceful, but tensions rose towards the end. Officers detained about a dozen protesters for blocking the street after they were told numerous times over the course of 20 minutes to vacate the street.
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