Kalamazoo Decriminalizes Public Defecation and Urination Over ‘Equity’ Issues

The city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has decriminalized littering, public defecation, and urination, despite various business owners decrying the policy.

On Monday, the Kalamazoo City Commission voted to water down some misdemeanor crimes so that they are merely civil infractions in the code of ordinances. Part of their reasoning was that people convicted of these crimes could have their lives negatively affected.

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Some business owners are in an uproar over the changes.

“We have a major problem downtown, and I don’t understand why it would even be proposed that the law would be less restricted than it is now,” said Cherri’s Chocol’art owner Cherri Emery.

“The people that are urinating, defecating, they’re not going to stop. We live with it every single day,” she added.

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Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson said that part of the reason for the changes was a concern about “equity” in the community.

“The approach of criminalizing these activities has also not done anything about it,” Anderson added.

Commissioner Stephanie Hoffman recommended people develop empathy and compassion about the issues.

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