Re:The Houseboat Wars of Richardson Bay
by JoeAltmaier on Friday June 25, 2021 @09:57AM
(#27630831)
But that's nearly every regulation - the poor are always less capable of complying, almost by definition.
Still the targeting of those living on boats is an abuse. An obvious one, that you would think they'd have figured out before embarrassing themselves by harassing folks in that way.
Problem is, that law wasn’t really enforced in the quarter of a century that former Harbormaster Bill Price patrolled Richardson Bay.
After Price retired in July 2019, the RBRA hired Havel to finally implement the anchorage’s 72-hour time limit and to ensure that every vessel in the harbor is seaworthy — a contentious term among seamen, especially those living, working, or recreating on Richardson Bay.
[...]
Generally speaking, these guidelines are meant to determine whether a vessel is “a risk to life, limb, or property” and/or poses “an environmental hazard.” While these rules are ostensibly in place to protect humans, wildlife, and the broader ecosystem, the anchor-outs of Richardson Bay say the RBRA is unfairly targeting those living on their boats while ignoring other abandoned, derelict, and drifting vessels. This accusation recalls critiques of other so-called “poverty taxes” — regulations that may pose something of an inconvenience to individuals with means but threaten the very livelihoods of the poor.