Honolulu holds the #8 spot the list of Top 10 Meanest Cities towards the homeless. But it seems this dubious honor has gone unnoticed by city counselors. Yesterday, a bill was introduced that would prevent the homeless from sitting or lying down on Oahu sidewalks. Take action today to tell the city leadership that criminalizing is cruel, unproductive, and inhumane.

The legislation yesterday was introduced by Councilman Charles K. Djou. The American Civil Liberties Union calls the bill an infringement of constitutional rights. The bill states: "No person shall sleep, sit or lie on a public sidewalk, or on a blanket, chair, stool or any other object placed on a public sidewalk."

Honolulu City Councilors seem to believe that keeping homeless individuals out of sight is the best anecdote for promoting tourism, a key industry in the state. Unfortunately, this priority has resulted in short-sighted laws and ordinances that make life for Honolulu's homeless extremely difficult, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless' 2009 report, Homes Not Handcuffs.

Since 2006, the City has slowly been removing benches from parks. Thousands of dollars have been spent retrofitting bus stops to discourage sleeping, removing benches and installing concrete stools. In addition to banning camping in several coastal parks, the city council also passed a broad camping ban that makes it easier to remove homeless campers from public parks.

It's time to tell Honolulu leaders: Stop using short-sighted tactics to hide the homeless and get serious about implementing productive, long-term solutions.

Send an email asking City Councilman Charles Djou to withdraw his cruel bill and get serious about helping people without a home. Tell him to consider strategies that have been more effective in humanely helping those without a home in other communities, such as a Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness for Honolulu.