Letter From Police Chief Criticizes Proposed Ordinance Intended to Control Homeless Camps
Chillicothe — Opposition to the “Anti-Camping” proposed ordinance intended to control homeless camps has taken an additional form, a Facebook page.
“Stop 555 Chillicothe” was created on March 21st, the Friday before the last council session where the proposed revision to Chapter 555 got its second reading.
The several posts on it so far include:
- An online petition to “Stop the Homeless Ban”
- The email list for council members
- An article from the Chillicothe Gazette on the March 3rd council review session at the library annex
- An article from the Scioto Post on the director of Community Action, which operates the homeless shelter
- The letter from the Chillicothe police chief criticizing the proposed ordinance
- And an event page for a rally before the next council session where the “Anti-Camping” item will have its third and final reading, on April 14th.
After I found the Facebook page, I messaged the page and requested an interview. Their response:
We are not providing media interviews at this time. As an organizing team dedicated to informing the public, we want to maintain complete focus on providing accurate information, resources, and advocacy opportunities so that members of the public can make their voices heard against the big government power grab that is the proposed “Chapter 555” legislation in Chillicothe. Whether it’s stopping 555 with a “No” vote in council, running a referendum to defeat the law once it is passed, or putting forward new legislation by initiative petition that would actually help homeless persons in our community, we are 100% focused on this fight no matter what. If in the future our capacity allows for conducting media interviews, you will be the first person we contact as you have been the first journalist to seek an interview with us. – Stop 555 Chillicothe Organizing Team
The police chief’s letter was mentioned by Mayor Luke Feeney in his briefing to council on March 24th. On the Stop 555 page, a digital copy of the letter is posted, as well as its text and three pull-quotes. Chillicothe Police Chief Ron Meyers confirmed to me in an email “that is a true and accurate correspondence to city council.”
In the letter, Meyers wrote on March 24th:
“In July of 2024, we sent a request to the Law Director’s Office to just approve signage for the Floodwall area due to unsafe and unsanitary conditions that was brought to our attention by residents.”
This is the first time I have learned that the request from the police was for only signage. All other references to its origin have been that the police requested better tools to deal with homeless camps. From a letter on December 2nd by Chillicothe Law Director Anna Villarreal:
“Several months ago, Law Enforcement reached out to the Law Director’s Office concerning various complaints in reference to homeless camps near the floodwall and east of the Bridge Street Bridge. Law Enforcement indicated they had gone to the camps, offered resources, and warned the individuals in reference to Criminal Trespass and Littering only to have new subjects moving into the area. “In response to this request for guidance, the issue was assigned to Law Director Office Assistant Hannah Bivens for research into possible solutions to the problem of camping in public areas…”
I interviewed the Chillicothe Law Director’s Office about their draft of the “Anti-Camping” proposed ordinance (and the “Cannabis Moratorium). Office Assistant Hannah Bivens gave an in-depth explanation of the “Anti-Camping” proposed ordinance. That interview is in “Chillicothe Council’s Review Session on “Anti-Camping” Proposed Ordinance is this Afternoon” (03/03/2025).
Regarding the March 24th letter, Stop 555 editorialized:
"Chillicothe Police never asked for “Chapter 555” legislation... "It’s reasonable for local police to want signage that clearly communicates existing law — trespassing, vaping, littering, and open burning are all restricted under current laws & should be able to be communicated on signage. "This proposal doesn’t do what the police asked for at all; it wildly expands the city’s prosecuting authority against homeless persons to include public spaces like sidewalks and private driveways, and the police are still left without the comprehensive signage they asked for in July 2024..."
See the letter below, and on the Stop 555 page.
