you just might be a "transient" or worse, a loitering vagrant...
(This will be a long post but for the topic and the information I'm trying to get out, I hope it does not violate the "keep it brief" rule, especially considering its in the off topic chit chat section.)
On another topic, one person said they felt there should be a seperate definition between somebody who chooses to live in a vehicle but could afford to pay for a fixed residence, and people who are forced into living in vehicles for economic reasons... I'm against that personally, but I'm trying to make sense of all these terms we use.
I was reading another forum on the 2009 City of Venice Beach CA overnight parking ordinance... it was kind of unique because at the time a group of "vehicle residents" faught against no over night parking ordinances and won (at least temporarily) and the city allowed overnight parking for city residents that lived in vehicles on some streets.
Its important to note, generally (though laws may vary) to be considered a resident of a city and qualify for various county services (* food banks, food stamps, county medical and dental clinics etc) you must live at the same street address for 30 days (this is when hotels stop charging you bed fees and added hospitality taxes) but this was a situation where these people lived in their cars for 30 days in the same locations and the city did consider them residents (at least for a short time as far as I know)
Side note: one posting forum member claimed he recieved a ticket because he was moving and fell asleep in the moving van, and when the police asked him if the moving van was his home he said no, the officer told him if he had said yes, they would not have given him a ticket for overnight parking.
another poster said "if we are calling these people vehicular residents, what are we going to start calling people who dont live in vehicles? cement residents? cardboard box residents?" etc.
this is from a legal dictionary...
What is TRANSIENT?
In poor-laws. A “transient person” is not exactly a person on a journey from one known place to another, but rather a wanderer ever on the tramp. Middlebury v. Waltham, 6 Vt. 203; Londonderry v. Landgrove, 66 Vt. 264, 29 Atl. 256. In Spanish law. A “transient foreigner” is one who visits the country, without the TRANSIRE 1168 TRAUMA intention of remaining. Yates v. lams, 10 Tex. 170.
Law Dictionary: http://thelawdictionary.org/transient/#ixzz2tNlyJVSk
but thats much better than the alternative... a Vagrant...
VAGRANT. Generally by the word vagrant is understood a person who lives idly without any settled home; but this definition is much enlarged by some statutes, and it includes those who refuse to work, or go about begging. See 1 Wils. R. 331; 5 East, R. 339: 8 T. R. 26.
A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States. By John Bouvier. Published 1856.
in short, vangrants dont have a fixed address, refuse to work, and beg for money.
Currently laws against vagrancy have been considered "status crimes" where rather than being considered a criminal for "doing" something illegal, your considered a criminal for "being" something illegal. most jurisdictions consider these unconstitutional as they exibit cruel and unusual punnishment and this has been backed up by succesful lawsuits.
BUT there are anti-loitering laws, laws which make it illegal to remain in a fixed and open location for various lengths of time, but there are other loitering type laws which make it illegal to sit or lean against walls or lay down on park benches etc.
anyhoo...
if you dont live at a fixed address, and your not traveling from one fixed address to another (assumed to be moving from home to home) your a transient, if you are in the same situation but dont have a job, and beg for money your a vagrant. (I dont want to make this a political debate, but what do you call somebody who begs the government for money or suppport, I think Mit Romney just called them "takers" durring the last presidential election.)
If you live in your RV, van or car... what do you consider yourself? vehicle resident? transient? or vagrant?
(This will be a long post but for the topic and the information I'm trying to get out, I hope it does not violate the "keep it brief" rule, especially considering its in the off topic chit chat section.)
On another topic, one person said they felt there should be a seperate definition between somebody who chooses to live in a vehicle but could afford to pay for a fixed residence, and people who are forced into living in vehicles for economic reasons... I'm against that personally, but I'm trying to make sense of all these terms we use.
I was reading another forum on the 2009 City of Venice Beach CA overnight parking ordinance... it was kind of unique because at the time a group of "vehicle residents" faught against no over night parking ordinances and won (at least temporarily) and the city allowed overnight parking for city residents that lived in vehicles on some streets.
Its important to note, generally (though laws may vary) to be considered a resident of a city and qualify for various county services (* food banks, food stamps, county medical and dental clinics etc) you must live at the same street address for 30 days (this is when hotels stop charging you bed fees and added hospitality taxes) but this was a situation where these people lived in their cars for 30 days in the same locations and the city did consider them residents (at least for a short time as far as I know)
Side note: one posting forum member claimed he recieved a ticket because he was moving and fell asleep in the moving van, and when the police asked him if the moving van was his home he said no, the officer told him if he had said yes, they would not have given him a ticket for overnight parking.
another poster said "if we are calling these people vehicular residents, what are we going to start calling people who dont live in vehicles? cement residents? cardboard box residents?" etc.
this is from a legal dictionary...
What is TRANSIENT?
In poor-laws. A “transient person” is not exactly a person on a journey from one known place to another, but rather a wanderer ever on the tramp. Middlebury v. Waltham, 6 Vt. 203; Londonderry v. Landgrove, 66 Vt. 264, 29 Atl. 256. In Spanish law. A “transient foreigner” is one who visits the country, without the TRANSIRE 1168 TRAUMA intention of remaining. Yates v. lams, 10 Tex. 170.
Law Dictionary: http://thelawdictionary.org/transient/#ixzz2tNlyJVSk
but thats much better than the alternative... a Vagrant...
VAGRANT. Generally by the word vagrant is understood a person who lives idly without any settled home; but this definition is much enlarged by some statutes, and it includes those who refuse to work, or go about begging. See 1 Wils. R. 331; 5 East, R. 339: 8 T. R. 26.
A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States. By John Bouvier. Published 1856.
in short, vangrants dont have a fixed address, refuse to work, and beg for money.
Currently laws against vagrancy have been considered "status crimes" where rather than being considered a criminal for "doing" something illegal, your considered a criminal for "being" something illegal. most jurisdictions consider these unconstitutional as they exibit cruel and unusual punnishment and this has been backed up by succesful lawsuits.
BUT there are anti-loitering laws, laws which make it illegal to remain in a fixed and open location for various lengths of time, but there are other loitering type laws which make it illegal to sit or lean against walls or lay down on park benches etc.
anyhoo...
if you dont live at a fixed address, and your not traveling from one fixed address to another (assumed to be moving from home to home) your a transient, if you are in the same situation but dont have a job, and beg for money your a vagrant. (I dont want to make this a political debate, but what do you call somebody who begs the government for money or suppport, I think Mit Romney just called them "takers" durring the last presidential election.)
If you live in your RV, van or car... what do you consider yourself? vehicle resident? transient? or vagrant?
