Virginia Beach sounds like one hell of a place. In the past two weeks alone, a man was found guilty of assaulting a child, burglars stole thousands from thrift stores, an ATM was snatched from a strip club, there were tack attacks against bicyclists, and two men were mugged so thoroughly as to be left without pants. How best to improve life there? Allowing tent cities, obviously.

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The City Council's considering a proposal that would allow encampments for homeless people, arguing that it'd be easier to provide services and keep an eye on them. Andrew Friedman, director of the Housing and Neighborhood Preservation Department, told the Virginian-Pilot that they're evaluating issues such as policing, sanitation, and the duration of the cities.

Mayor Will Sessoms, though, isn't convinced. "I just don't see it happening," he told the Pilot. "I could not recommend it because I do not want to encourage homelessness. I want to work to keep people from being homeless."

As of January, there were 453 homeless in Virginia Beach, which is already home to a number of unauthorized tent cities. And so is Northern Virginia, by the way.

[via AP]