HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu is expanding its ban on sitting and lying down in public to more pedestrian malls, despite Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s veto.
The city council voted 7-2 Wednesday to override the veto, adding two pedestrian malls in Chinatown to the restricted areas. Members in favor of the ban say it is necessary to protect businesses in the area, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported (http://bit.ly/1Ut92Pu).
In his veto last month, Caldwell cited legal concerns.
City attorneys say constitutional challenges to sit-lie measures are best defended against in cases where people sitting or lying on sidewalks hinder access to businesses.
The nonprofit Kukui Children’s Foundation sits on the edge of Chinatown. Executive Director Judy Lind said Wednesday that individuals sitting and lying on sidewalks impede access to offices that serve children daily and into the evening.
“We really need the same safeguards . that you have given other businesses,” she said.
Earlier this year the council overrode Caldwell’s veto to another sit-lie expansion.
Council members Brandon Elefante and Kymberly Pine voted against overriding the veto. They have opposed similar measures in the past, saying sit-lie legislation criminalizes homelessness and forces people to move into neighborhoods.
Law enforcement officers said in a statement Wednesday that they are working with city officials and attorneys to discuss enforcement.