Sent to a Shopping Center Instead of Home
A recent Local 10 hidden-camera investigation exposed a troubling reality hiding in plain sight in Fort Lauderdale. Reporters documented dozens of people sleeping overnight at the River Market shopping center, many of them recently released from jail or prison. Many of them registered sex offenders. Shoppers, employees, and even city officials expressed shock upon learning that people were spending their nights there. According to the report, authorities quickly distanced themselves from responsibility, with probation officials denying that individuals were being directed to the location.
For those of us who have been fighting for reform for years, there was nothing surprising about this story. In fact, it is a pattern we have seen over and over again. A person is released from incarceration. They want to go home. They want to live with family. They want to reconnect with a support system that research consistently shows is one of the strongest predictors of successful reentry. But because of residency restrictions, registration requirements, zoning rules, probation conditions, or bureaucratic obstacles, many are prevented from doing exactly that.
Instead, they end up in places no one would ever choose as a residence: under bridges, in encampments, in industrial areas, and now apparently in a shopping center parking lot. With no access to restrooms!
Authorities quietly direct people to these locations, either explicitly or implicitly by telling them where they can and cannot go. The public eventually discovers what is happening and reacts with outrage. Reporters start asking questions. Elected officials express surprise. And suddenly the agencies responsible deny any involvement.
For years, FAC has warned policymakers that when you make lawful housing unavailable, people do not magically disappear. They still exist. They still need somewhere to sleep. The choice is not whether these individuals will live somewhere. The choice is whether they will be allowed to live in stable housing with their families or be forced into homelessness and instability.
What makes this story particularly frustrating is that many of the people sleeping in that shopping center have family members who would welcome them into their homes. They could be sleeping in a bed instead of a parking lot. They could be rebuilding their lives instead of simply surviving another night outdoors. Yet the same policies that create these situations continue to be defended as public-safety measures.
If public safety were truly the goal, we would be encouraging stable housing, family reunification, employment, and community support. Instead, we continue to create barriers that push people into homelessness and then act surprised when homelessness appears. The Local 10 investigation did not expose a mystery. It exposed the inevitable consequence of policies that prioritize exclusion over reintegration.
FAC has been saying this for years. When people are prevented from living with their families, they do not vanish. They end up somewhere. The only question is whether that “somewhere” will be a home or a shopping center parking lot.
Politicians created this problem. Politicians need to fix it!
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Actually, I had no set mindset before my sons arrest. In fact, I have a lot of empathy for all people. I grew up in the hood, have friends of all races/faiths. My oldest son, that I’m thisclose with, is biracial and gay. I divorced my ex husband due to his substance abuse/acoholism, which he battled until he passed away from his addiction at 53 years old. We were still on a friendly basis when he passed. Even though we had been divorced for over 30 years and I supported my oldest son 100% without his help. I’m just stating facts that a lot of people, including myself believed. The belief that it’s unlikely a college educated person, that doesn’t do drugs/doesn’t drink, has good credit, would be homeless through no choice of their own. Yes, that is a sterotype belief to a certain point. However, like myself, I don’t think that most people are aware that cities are forcing them to be homeless. That there is no other choice. I do believe that there is also a misconception and that people aren’t fully educated on what a RSO is. Most people read it as “child rapist”. Which a lot of people including my son have zero contact related charges. I have always considered myself an open minded empathetic person. Otherwise, I would never have been accepting of my oldest son and/or worked so hard to keep my youngest son out of a homeless situation and try so hard to help him get his life back on track. I do believe that EVERYONE in life should have a chance for redemption. The LIFELONG registry is the most difficult part of this for me to personally fathom. At some point, after probation is over/sentences served, there should be a chance for redemption and they should be able to come off of the registry.
It’s not just politicians, but all of the activists, uninformed public and lobbying groups that keep the politicians creating the laws. Also, when crime junkies keep long ago stories in the media that are the worst of the worst it also keeps the narrative going that every PFR is the bogeyman.