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‘Kalamazoo is in the s**t, literally’: Uproar after city decriminalizes public urination, defecation

CIty leaders voted in favor of legalizing public urination, excretion and littering along with numerous other misdemeanors

KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN: Business owners from Michigan’s Kalamazoo have been left enraged after city leaders voted in favor of decriminalizing public urination, excretion and littering along with numerous other misdemeanors in the name of “equitable changes.” During an interview with ‘Fox & Friends First’ host Todd Piro on Thursday, July 21, Becky Bil, who is the co-owner of Pop City Popcorn, reportedly said, “I don’t have a horrible time outside my shop particularly … but my neighbor has had human feces outside his door.”

Another business owner, Cherri Emery, who runs a chocolate and coffee shop, pointed out, “One day, we kept smelling something in the back of the store … and it was human feces. I called my landlord and nobody would do anything about it. This is before we had ambassadors … so I had to clean it up myself.” 

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Bil also shared that though a nearly $100,000 fully furnished restroom within reach of the Kalamazoo Mall – where she and Emery have their shops – has been set up, most of the time a lock is placed there. “I don’t know how effective it is if no one can actually use it,” she added.

Other than urination and defecation issues, other problems faced by locals because of lenient laws were explained by Emery. She noted, “It’s not just the urination part of it. The part of it that’s really upsetting to us is people approaching other people, people following some of their employees to their cars and asking them for money, and when they get to the car, and they’re still not giving them money, we had one guy that started throwing rocks at their cars.”

The move has attracted a lot of attention online as well with a user tweeting, “What in the world are they thinking of in Lansing? MI has enough problems without all this shit too!” The second user said, “I’m headed to Kalamazoo right now to take a giant dump on the street! Can’t wait!” The third one wrote: “Just when you think it can't get any worse.” “You gotta be shittin' me--that's ridiculous!” the fourth one noted.

An angry person sarcastically asked, “Does that include the Mayor’s desk?” Another one tweeted: “Pure Michigan 😏.” A tweet read, “Shitty decision on their part.” “This law disproportionately negatively affects marginalized constipated people,” another tweet added.

A tweet said, “Its amazing how 2020s will be the downfall of American life.” The second tweet stated, “We didn't need this to tell us it was already a shithole but at least it'll smell like one now.” “Well, I guess when you have to make laws on how NOT to be an animal, you've arrived at some benchmark. great job Michigan👍,” a tweet added.

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Michigan is not the only state that has taken such a step. In 2019, San Francisco's then-district attorney Chesa Boudin had said: “We will not prosecute cases involving quality-of-life crimes. Crimes such as public camping, offering or soliciting sex, public urination, blocking a sidewalk, etc., should not and will not be prosecuted. Many of these crimes are still being prosecuted; we have a long way to go to decriminalize poverty and homelessness.”