Homeless man charged with felony for camping under rising camping bans

Joseph Lamont Williams was charged with a felony for refusing to leave a public park where he had been living, making him one of the first people prosecuted under increasingly strict camping bans. States across the country are implementing more aggressive policies to criminalize homelessness and restrict where unhoused individuals can stay. This legal approach marks a shift toward using felony charges rather than misdemeanor citations to enforce anti-camping ordinances.