Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed one of the cruelest anti-homeless bills in the country into law. HB 211 will make it a crime to sleep outside in Louisiana, punishing homeless people with extreme fines and jail, while also setting the stage for forced treatment and even forced labor.

Last week, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed one of the cruelest anti-homeless bills in the country into law. HB 211 will make it a crime to sleep outside in Louisiana, punishing homeless people with extreme fines and draconian jail sentences, while also setting the stage for forced treatment and even forced labor.

This bill did not come out of nowhere. Across the country, we’re seeing a coordinated effort – led by the Palantir-funded, billionaire-backed Cicero Institute and taken up by the Trump administration – to arrest and jail people simply because they can’t afford the rent. Cicero has praised and supported this horrific version of its copy-paste legislation, and Gov. Landry, a supporter of the president, has cited Trump’s anti-homeless policies to justify his support for this bill.