Tents For The Homeless Spring Up Throughout Paris

"The Arc de Triomphe, the towers of Notre Dame and, now, pup tents for the poor. There is new architecture springing up along the streets of this stately city, a counterpoint to the stone monuments and Beaux-Arts apartment buildings for which the French capital is known.

Since the frigid days of late December, Doctors of the World, a French organization that helps the homeless, has been distributing nylon tents to the growing number of people who sleep on the city's sidewalks and beneath its bridges."

The visual aesthetic of the tents has generated controversy in the City of Light.

"In keeping with France's centuries-long nod to the egalitarian ideals of the Revolution, anyone can stake out a patch of city sidewalk, as long as there is no public disturbance.

The homeless have long slept along the quays beneath the bridges over the Seine. Camping in public areas without authorization is illegal, 'but the law doesn't allow us to take forcible action,' said Capt. Marie Lajus, a spokeswoman for the Paris police. 'It is only punishable with a fine." No fines have been levied so far.'"