When I was a kid, I always knew what a tent was. I learned how to erect one while in cub scouts. Those plastic tent pegs were always hard to hammer in the hardened dirt. That canvas material never seemed to stand straight. But those pup tents were still fun to sleep in.

Ask any child what a tent is, and if she or he had some camping experience, she or he could easily describe one. So I don’t understand why the legal technicalities of the definition of a tent are so controversial. I guess when homeless people sleep in tents in public parks it becomes political. In fact, extremely controversial.

Just look at Hawaii. Their world-renowned beaches, with turquoise water and clean white sand just don’t resonant with homeless people living in colorful pup tents on the coast.

So the Honolulu City Council is seeking to clearly define what a “tent” is. Why? Because they want to ban all tents from their parks—whether permanent canvas homes for homeless people or a casual day-time shade for a family spending the day on the beach.

Otherwise, the ACLU will sue the city for not enforcing their tent ordinance uniformly against all people—homeless or not.

But canvas canopies with open sides that cover picnickers from the sun are okay. They are not considered tents. The ordinance defines a tent as, “a collapsible structure consisting of sheets of canvas, fabric or other material attached to or draped over a frame or poles or a supporting rope.” I think that definition would describe the pup tents I used to use when I was a kid having overnight slumber parties

But the ACLU says the city’s definition could also be understood to include a banner or sign, attached to a pole. So complicated. If you ask a cub scout if a banner attached to a sign is a tent, she or he would certainly say no.

So much energy expended on seeking a solution to homelessness. Should homeless people be sleeping in tents on a world famous beach, smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Certainly not.

Homelessness, whether in a neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles called Skid Row, or a perfectly white sanded beach called Waikiki, should not be allowed. But banning canvas tents is not a permanent solution. Such a ban just pushes homelessness off the beaches and into other parts of the island.

We all know the real solution to homelessness. Permanent housing.