ORLANDO, Fla. – The arrest of 62-year-old Paul Clark on Jan. 8 caused a lot of confusion.
The man — who is experiencing homelessness — was handcuffed by Orlando police in front of Taco Bell Cantina on Orange Avenue near Central Boulevard.
He was taken into custody hours after Orlando council members amended the city’s disorderly conduct ordinance.
The updated code made “intentionally blocking a sidewalk or refusing to move” a violation.
Police initially told News 6 that Clark was the first to be arrested on a charge of violating the updated ordinance.
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The agency later said Clark’s arresting documents cited city ordinance 43.88, sitting or lying in the downtown core district, which is an older rule.
A court filing shows City Prosecutor Alex Weaver dropped Clark’s charges, not mentioning the reason.
Orlando Councilman Bakari Burns said the amended ordinance is too vague.
“My main concern with the amended disorderly conduct policy was the ambiguity in the wording,” Burns said. “I thought that we could have more wording that would put more protections for individuals who are experiencing homelessness. "
This is also a concern for residents and advocates for people experiencing homelessness.
Some people made that clear during public comment at the Jan. 8 city council meeting.
“The vague language leaves room for interpretation that has the potential to be used for harm,” a resident said during public comment.
Burns said that is not the council’s intention.
“We have to be careful in enacting ordinances that may give the appearance that we’re attempting to criminalize homelessness,” Burns said. “Being homeless is not a crime, you know. It’s a social and economic state that we as a community need to come together and find some true solutions.”
Commissioner Burns said the council may revisit this ordinance in about six months to see if it has disproportionately impacted a specific group of people.
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