County Commissioners set curfew for courthouse

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance Aug. 23 that sets a new curfew on the Monroe County Courthouse.

The unanimous decision established the public hours for the Courthouse Square between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day of the week. A person who violates the ordinance will commit a Class E ordinance violation and may be charged with trespassing.

Julie Thomas, vice president of the Monroe County Commissioners, said in an email the new hours are set this way to allow people to still enjoy the park-like setting and view the war memorials.

Thomas said they passed the ordinance in order to protect the public’s health and safety on the square.

The ordinance was essential because their maintenance staff had to clean up garbage and human waste each morning, Thomas said.

Patrick Stoffers, a Monroe County commissioner, said in an email the new curfew will protect users of the square from abuse.

“The courthouse grounds belong to everyone.” Stoffers said. “But that doesn’t mean the users of the courthouse should have to tolerate trash and litter, human waste and vandalism to conduct their business.”

The ordinance states “numerous individuals have been camping overnight on the Monroe County Courthouse grounds, including at the entrance to the Courthouse.”

According to the ordinance, there will be signs on the square informing people of the new hours.

The ordinance also prohibits intentional littering and consumption of alcohol on the square.

The people experiencing homelessness who have been sleeping there at night will now have to find somewhere else to stay.

John Riley, one of the people experiencing homelessness, said he is very angry about the new curfew.

“They took our tents students built for us on the Westside, then they found out the homeless were sleeping at the courthouse, and now they’ve done away with that,” Riley said.

Riley said they have complained and done a couple of marches, but that nothing has been done.

He said the homeless don’t have any options anymore, so he has been staying anywhere he can.

“There is nowhere in this town that the homeless people can lay our head at night,” he said.  

Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.