Florida criminalized homelessness, but then came hurricanes Helene and Milton: Around the country, anti-camping policies are complicating disaster recovery

I never once expressed disbelief.

Margaret Killjoy did a 2 part podcast about relief efforts in Asheville, and she mentioned that one FEMA worker she spoke to told her one of the biggest hurdles to actually getting people help was the fact that a lot of local rescue and aid efforts are first and foremost run by police and the military (and other local first responders, but in the US police generally outnumber these by a hideous ratio).

The worker mentioned that the frustrations mostly come because community and mutual aid are inherently horizontal - you tell me you need food, I have food, I share food, no strings. Police and military are taught to desire hierarchy and structure and order, they want "these people need aid first and then these people and then these" rather than "EVERYONE needs aid, and if we offer it freely people generally won't take advantage", which is usually the case actually. I can definitely see police going "well I know all these people just don't have homes anymore, but if we stop enforcing this law society will break down entirely".