A makeshift home made of a simple camping enclosure was all a 49-year-old, chronically unhoused Black man had in a Nashville public park. He had lived there for several years—until he was arrested, tased, and charged with a felony simply for camping on public property.
His experience reflects a stark national trend. Following a recent Supreme Court ruling, new laws across at least 14 states—including Tennessee—mean unhoused individuals like Joseph Lamont Williams face up to several years in prison for sleeping on public land, an act now classified as a felony according to the National Homelessness Law Center.
Speaking with NPR, Williams explained that he was one of two people arrested in the park on June 28. He faced two felony counts of camping and a misdemeanor charge of evading arrest under Tennessee’s strict anti-camping statute.
Passed in 2022, the law criminalizes basic survival activities like erecting tents or using bedding on public land between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Now classified as a Class E felony, a conviction carries a penalty of up to six years in prison and a $3,000 fine.
Williams pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge and was released from jail after nine days, according to NPR. Alissa Heydari, the court-appointed attorney who represented him in the camping case, noted that the arrest “makes what is already a very difficult life situation for Mr. Williams harder and worse.”
Source: He Lived in an East Nashville Park for Years. Then, Tennessee Made His Survival a Crime
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