Treatment of unhoused population ahead of Regatta on agenda for Charleston City Council meeting

Editors Note: the resolution vote of 23-2 was changed to 23-1.

UPDATE (9:16 p.m. on July 1, 2024) — The resolution proposed at the Charleston city council meeting Monday to expand CARE (Coordinated Addiction Response Effort) services throughout the Regatta has failed, according to an attending 13 News reporter.

The motion made to send the resolution to the Public Safety Committee failed 19-6 while the resolution itself failed 23-1.

The resolution vote that was in favor was Joe Solomon, the councilmember who introduced it. Two members were not present at the meeting.

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – “What measures are acceptable for policing the unhoused population?” That’s the question some are trying to answer at Charleston’s city council meeting on Monday.

The question comes after the city was accused of “sweeping” the streets ahead of last year’s Charleston Sternwheel Regatta, one of the city’s biggest summer events.

“We are not saying that the police shouldn’t do their job, that’s the spin that the city is trying to put on it. It is not that at all because these folks are there last week, they’ll be there in two weeks from now,” said councilwoman Beth Kerns. “But, there’s solutions, we need to find the solutions and not just hide our problems.”

A proposed resolution hopes to address the treatment of unhoused individuals. It says, “Criminalizing homelessness does not address the root causes of poverty and instead perpetuates a cycle of instability and hardship.”

According to city records, 16 people were arrested ahead of the Regatta last year for being at a park after hours. All of them were unhoused and did not appear in court for almost a week due to the holiday weekend.

“I think 16 people cost about $4,000. They can take half of that and open up a warming or cooling center for these folks and feed them and house them there and give them an ultimate place to be,” Kerns said. “There is a humane way of dealing with folks.”

Charleston Police Chief Scott Dempsey said the accusations that the department performed “sweeps” ahead of the Regatta are not true.

“The police department is not for this resolution because we feel that it basically slaps the face of every officer who goes out there and works hard and works directly with our CARE team every day and to try and find folks that are unhoused the resources they need to try and live a better life,” Dempsey said.

The resolution proposes the expansion of CARE (Coordinated Addiction Response Effort) services throughout the Regatta to help address mental health, housing and substance abuse. It also looks to prevent targeted homeless sweeps and asks the municipal court to stay open through Regatta week except for July 4, in line with city law.

“We will continue to enforce the laws and ordinances of this state and city while we’re also working directly with the CARE team and other organizations to make sure we have the resources to provide the best possible service,” Dempsey said.

The Municipal Court said they will not be open on July 4 but will be open July 5-7.

The full resolution can be viewed here .

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