Bryan Browne, who is homeless, is seen sitting on the sidewalk in front of Kilwin's chocolate shop on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2025, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. .

Bryan Browne tells stories on the streets of Saratoga Springs. That's how he earns his living, in the long tradition of buskers who perform and entertain for donations.

Mr. Browne is also, as it happens, homeless. And that fact seems to have made the former high school teacher a target of police tasked with enforcing Saratoga's new anti-camping ordinance, which bans sitting and lying on city property, including sidewalks, parking lots, garages and gazebos.

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The ban specifically excludes the use of chairs, tables and items that are, in the words of the ordinance, "used for approved outdoor dining or commerce." Nevertheless, as the Times Union's Wendy Liberatore documented in

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