MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — On Tuesday, voters will end a continuing debate in the city of Morgantown—the proposed ban on camping in municipal areas.
Morgantown City Council passed the camping ban last September and then members of the Morgantown Coalition for Housing Action successfully submitted an amended petition to have it repealed or put on the ballot during the next city election.
The Morgantown ban is similar to the statewide proposal, House Bill 2382, considered during the most recent legislative session sponsored by Del. Geno Chiarelli, R-Monongalia.
“This really is about making sure people are living in situations that are going to help them get back on their feet and find some normalcy and structure that they clearly don’t have now,” Chiarelli said.
City council member Weez Michael, who sponsored the original ordinance, said the goal is to move people toward treatment. Data from Catholic Charities West Virginia from the last several months in Morgantown shows very few of those seeking services are from the area.
“About 80 percent of what they’re seeing is drug and alcohol-related,” Michael said. “So, we really do need more beds.”
If not repealed, the measure would prohibit camping on any public property, including streets, parks and trails.”
The ordinance would also make storing personal property in public areas illegal. Second and third violations of the ordinance come with fines of $200 and $300 and/or 30 days in jail for each.
“Because people aren’t willing to change their lifestyles, because they really don’t want help—they just want to continue living like they are,” Chiarelli said. “They want to set up camps with open-air drug use and prostitution, and people in Morgantown know what I’m talking about—our city is not the same as it was 10 years ago.”
The debate in Morgantown has been happening for the last five years, when Diamond Village was established along Deckers Creek in the South Park area. For several months while the camp was in operation, residents reported increased property crime, drug activity, and violence. Though Diamond Village was disbanded in 2020, many smaller versions have been reported and cleared since.
“We want the same results,” Michael said. “We want people to get help, we want news available, and we want shelter space, so we all want to reach the same goals in the long run.”
The Morgantown Municipal Election is Tuesday.
Story by Mike Nolting, WAJR