Supreme Court to consider whether cities can ticket homeless people

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Monday on a challenge to a law that would allow cities to fine homeless people and could fundamentally change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people without a home.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that cities cannot ticket homeless people for camping in public if there is no alternative shelter available, but local governments supporting the lawsuit are I’m asking you to overturn your opinion.

City and town officials say the regulations prevent them from enforcing “common sense” laws that prohibit camping in certain public places, while homeless advocates say the regulations If overturned, they argue, it could effectively criminalize homelessness as it exists.

The case is led by the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, which has implemented an anti-camping law that fines homeless people $295 per night.

The town’s attorney said blocking the law “made it impossible for the city to address the growth of encampments.”

“And they are unsafe, unhealthy and problematic for everyone, especially people experiencing homelessness,” attorney Thean Evangelis told The Associated Press.

As housing prices continue to soar, homelessness rates are at record highs. Homelessness is highest on the West Coast, where higher rents and milder temperatures make people more likely to live without a home.

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are about 650,000 homeless people in the country, about one-third of whom live on the West Coast.

Arguments in the case focus on the Eighth Amendment, with homeless advocates arguing that ticketing homeless people amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment.”

“For years, political leaders have chosen to tolerate encampments as an alternative to meaningfully addressing the West Region’s severe housing shortage,” lawyers representing the city’s homeless population wrote in January. He sent a letter to the court requesting that the appeal not be entertained.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is among the leaders lobbying the court to overturn the appellate court’s decision. In a court brief filed last month, Newsom, who has made fighting homelessness a major issue, argued that blocking local governments from issuing tickets to homeless people would impede law enforcement.

“Encampments are dangerous, no wonder. California is investing billions of dollars to build housing and provide the services needed to get people out of tents and into safer situations. .” Newsom said in a statement:. “However, our best efforts are hampered by widespread injunctions that slow progress and provide no consistent guidance for local governments to follow.”

“The U.S. Supreme Court can establish a balance that allows us to impose reasonable limits on camping in public places while respecting the dignity of people living on the streets,” he continued. “By setting clear rules, the court will encourage states and local governments to enact and enforce compassionate policies that save lives, strengthen communities, and ultimately help stem the tide of this homelessness crisis.” can be empowered.”

The Justice Department has taken a similar position, calling for the appellate court’s decision to be overturned but also saying mass homelessness should not be criminalized.

The mayors of San Francisco and Phoenix and 20 Republican attorneys general from around the country also encouraged the Supreme Court to take up the case.

A verdict is expected to be handed down by late June.