Every now and then I have something to say. I mean, you know, something of substance. This was one of those times.
The name of my YouTube video was “Sleeping in a car or a van? Avoid this state!” But if YouTube didn’t require clickbait to get videos sucked into its algorithm, the title would have been “Why I’m not going to Tennessee right now.”
I mentioned some of this in the video, but I have visited all 50 states and have found interesting things to see and do in every one. I have nothing against the state of Tennessee. I have visited Tennessee many times and enjoyed every time there. I’ve been to Memphis, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Knoxville, and Nashville. I attended the World’s Fair in Knoxville in 1982, and stayed in Memphis in 2022. All good memories.
The focus of my ire is not the people of Tennessee but rather a series of laws the state has passed. Although these laws were not specifically directed toward people traveling and sleeping in camper vans, they will certainly affect them.
The first is Tennessee’s law that not only prohibits camping on public and state property, but makes it a felony. Private property is already covered by trespassing laws. Think about it. I’ve had lots of people tell me on YouTube that “stealth camping isn’t camping,” but this law specifically mentions camping in tents and vehicles. Public property includes things like legal street parking. Tennessee has made it a felony to do that.
Recently, Tennessee also made it illegal to sleep in a vehicle for more than three hours. That’s anywhere, even rest areas. Some people on YouTube have suggested people can still sleep at Walmart. I’m almost positive state law trumps Walmart’s rules. Some people have suggested that I could “probably get away with it.” I mean, I could probably get away with lots of crimes, but don’t plan to.
The last two things I mentioned were a one-two combo. The first was President Trump’s Executive Order designed to clean up the streets of America. One of the things the EO mentions is a plan to put an end to “urban camping.” If sleeping in a van outside a Cracker Barrel ain’t “urban camping,” I don’t know what is. The other part of that combo is the arrival of the National Guard in Memphis. That’s an additional 200 law enforcers roaming the streets of a town that says sleeping on public property is a felony and sleeping in your vehicle for more than three hours is against the law. Stealth camping in that environment is just asking for trouble.
I had at least one commenter accuse me of “leaning blue.” My goal was to be as apolitical as possible. I am not attacking the administration or anyone else. What I am saying is that now that they have essentially declared war on everything I would do if I went on vacation there… I’m not going there.
As I mentioned in the video, yes, I’m a federal employee which means, yes, I’m on furlough. While I have concerns about when my next paycheck will arrive, it also gives me some free time to hit the road. I’ve been wanting to visit Memphis again, but with current budget concerns I was planning to stay in the van while visiting and that seems like a no-go at the moment.
Homelessness is a complicated issue with many causes and fewer solutions. I’m not here to solve the world’s problems, at least not all of them. I never in a million years thought laws designed to curb homelessness would affect my hobbies, but that’s where I find myself at the moment.