An example cited in the article mentions a Citizen staffer wanting an escort to a coffee shop...if these are the types of situations where one might want to utilize a private service...what's the harm? The police aren't your personal bodyguards. Most colleges have walk-home services etc.
In many states, security guards can be armed in public, but so can private citizens.
The endgame for this will be large-scale gated communities that are town-level. A surefire to prevent homelessness in a particular town is for the entire town to be private property. If you can't card-in, you don't get in. Dystopian yes, but probably inevitable, and the trail was blazed by the modern corporate campus that operates on the same principles.
In many states, security guards can be armed in public, but so can private citizens.
The endgame for this will be large-scale gated communities that are town-level. A surefire to prevent homelessness in a particular town is for the entire town to be private property. If you can't card-in, you don't get in. Dystopian yes, but probably inevitable, and the trail was blazed by the modern corporate campus that operates on the same principles.