The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear a case over whether cities in Western states can ban homeless people from sleeping in public areas.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled that a camping ban in Grants Pass, Oregon, was unconstitutional because it violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against “cruel and unusual punishment.” It was down.
Grants Pass appealed the ruling with support from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose state faces a homelessness crisis.
The ruling applies to nine western states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
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Homeless people in San Francisco. (Li Jianguo/Xinhua News Agency, via Getty Images/File)
Another 9th Circuit panel ruled in the Grant Pass case that authorities should not pass laws prohibiting homeless people from “using blankets, pillows, or cardboard boxes to protect themselves from the elements.” The ruling was made.
Republican Steve Garvey, who is running for the California Senate, told Fox News Digital on Friday that the fight against homelessness must be “based on compassion and real solutions.”
“Recently, I visited homeless shelters in San Diego and Skid Row in Los Angeles and saw the harsh realities faced by people living on the streets,” Garvey explained. “This experience strengthens my belief that while we must uphold public safety and community standards, our approach to homelessness must be based on compassion and practical solutions.” it was done.”
Supreme Court of Washington DC (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin/File)
He said the visit to the homeless area “started as a personal awakening and has now become a personal determination to do everything we can to address this humanitarian crisis.”
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Garvey told Fox News Digital that the Supreme Court should “consider the need for humane treatment of the homeless in tandem with the enforcement of public ordinances.”
“It is essential that we find a balance that addresses the wide range of social and health-related issues that contribute to homelessness, while respecting the dignity of every individual,” he added.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, second from the left, said he supports local governments in Western states appealing to the Supreme Court to allow them to clear homeless camps. (Lee Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images/File)
“California has invested billions of dollars to address homelessness, but the court's decision ties the hands of state and local governments to address this issue,” Newsom said in a statement Friday. “
His office filed an amicus brief in September telling the Supreme Court that “state and local It called for “clarification that local governments can take reasonable measures.”
Mr. Newsom continued, “The Supreme Court is determined to get back on track and end the costly delays caused by litigation that have plagued our efforts to clear encampments and provide services to those in need.'' I can do it,” he added.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (California Governor Gavin Newsom YouTube Channel)
In 2018, the Ninth Circuit ruled in a case in Boise, Idaho, that penalizing homeless people for sleeping on the streets when there is no available shelter violates the Eighth Amendment. It was given down.
“The tragedy is that these decisions actually hurt the very people they purport to protect,” said Grants Pass attorney Thean Evangelis. “We will file our case with the Supreme Court this spring. I'm looking forward to it.”
According to The Hill, Grants argued that allowing homeless people to stay in encampments could lead to increased crime, fires, a “return of medieval diseases” and environmental damage.
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But Ed Johnson, an attorney representing homeless people who challenged the Grants Pass ordinance, said, “The question before the court is that the city is allowing homeless people to simply exist without access to shelter.'' Yet, some politicians and others are cynically trying to distract the public and deflect responsibility for years of policy failures by pointing to the causes of the homelessness crisis. is falsely accusing judicial authorities of
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
