Morgantown W.Va. —Last month, Morgantown’s City Council passed a camping ban aimed at addressing homelessness in the city by banning camping on all public property. 

Ward 3 Councilmember Louise “Weezy” Michael proposed the ordinance. She previously told West Virginia Public Broadcasting she was responding to, “the legitimate complaints of our constituents.”

“There’s a lot of people staying out in these camps near our downtown and on our rail trails and near our rivers,” Michael said. “And it’s becoming a public safety and a health issue, and that’s mostly why I took up this ban.”

Throughout discussions spanning several meetings, citizens repeatedly warned council they were prepared to mount a formal opposition. An unofficial petition had already garnered more than 500 signatures before the end of the Sept. 3 council meeting where the ordinance was approved.

Once the ban passed, a formal petition to repeal the ban was filed with the city clerk’s office, and supporters have been gathering hundreds of signatures ever since.

The citywide anti-camping ordinance is scheduled to go into effect 30 days after adoption, Friday Oct. 4. But on that same day, citizens plan to present their official petition to repeal the ban. 

As the Oct. 4 deadline has drawn closer, petition organizers and volunteers have ramped up efforts with door to door canvassing and at public events, even putting on an event of their own.

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