Posted on 07/08/2023 9:40:25 AM PDT by lowbridge
The most powerful federal appeals court in the western United States once again refused to let cities and towns force the homeless off of the streets unless communities provide shelter for them.
Cities large and small across the west coast have tried, and failed, to overturn the higher court's ruling for years, the latest of which came from the Oregon city, Grants Pass.
"We are having a situation where the police were telling homeless people that they couldn't sleep in public or private, and private property," said Grants Pass Mayor Sara Bristol. "And eventually, that kind of boiled down to homeless people feeling like they couldn't find a place to rest where they weren't being harassed."
Bristol said the ruling highlights deep political divisions in her city and county. There are currently a few solutions on the table.
"There's been so much discussion and controversy in the community that we're kind of at a standstill about what to do about it," said Bristol.
This court has dictated Los Angeles' response to the homeless crisis for years. The city was forced to accept encampment because of a staggering shortage of shelters.
But the court was more divided on this case than ever with a growing number of judges appointed by former President Donald Trump lashing out. They claimed the homeless, by occupying public space, are destroying the quality of life in many cities.
"Homelessness is presently the defining public health and safety crisis in the western United States," wrote conservative Judge Milan Smith Jr. "There are stretches of (Los Angeles) where one cannot help but think the government has shirked its most basic responsibilities under the social contract: providing public safety and ensuring that public spaces remain open to all."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
"...eventually, that kind of boiled down to homeless people feeling like they couldn't find a place to rest where they weren't being harassed." and...Yes, those nasty Trump judges are just CLAIMING the vast, filthy, disease-ridden, drug-haven encampments are destroying the quality of life in many cities. It's nothing but a false CLAIM. Who are you going to believe? Your lying eyes? Or the libs?"...judges appointed by former President Donald Trump lashing out. They claimed the homeless, by occupying public space, are destroying the quality of life in many cities.
What a shame that the vast legions of addicted bums can't find a place to rest without feeling harassed. Where are the tiny violins?
We had a bum sleeping on a bench in front of the Safeway in our nice little town on the San Francisco Peninsula. I called the cops. The dispatcher said "The police have check on his health and welfare. He's fine." I SCREAMED at her "HE may be FINE, but I AM NOT FINE. I am paying these outrageous taxes and expect order, cleanliness, and safety in our town!!" She replied "there's nothing we can do." and "click" - she hung up on me.
This will probably get to SCOTUS and let's hope they put a stop to this nonsense.
Of course, nothing can possibly get better until we close the southern border and stop the flow of drugs from China and Mexico. But we have had zero political will to do what's required to effect those things. Meanwhile, the country burns as usual.
It's pretty obvious this flow of drugs from China is part of their "Chinese neuro-strike programme."
EXACTLY, we should have never send food, water and medicine into the Turd world. Let them fester in their own waste. It is like those starving people sitting near the beach in Africa. Did nobody teach them how to fish to eat? Group effort anyone? No shovels to dig a well, use the sand to make a filter for the sewage, or make impure waters safe to drink? Thousands of years of evolution, and Africans never had a ocean sailing fleet outside of North Africans.
Setup a nice big tent city somewhere in Nevada or Arizona, and take them all out there without discrimination of any kind. The problem will self correct.
“it may be just picking up trash all day long but no standing on the corner begging”
The ones standing on the corner often have a decent Section 8 apartment and they do the begging “professionally”. I have seen this myself. This is more about fentanyl smokers lying about all day.
Seattle/King County spends multiple billions on homeless causes. There are about 16000 homeless. Someone is raking off of the top, and why isn’t the problem solved?
What happens if the shelter is provided, but the homeless do not want to go there?
The reason we don't see too many homeless camps in the suburbs and small towns is because the homeless can't find food there.
They rely on the density of the big cities to scrounge the public garbage cans for food and they panhandle from the people who walk to and from work, outside of restaurants, and at commuter bus and train stops.
You don't have that kind of access to sustenance in the small towns and suburbs. The homeless can't set up camps there because they won't be able to sustain themselves for very long.
-PJ
“I am paying these outrageous taxes and expect order, cleanliness, and safety in our town!!” She replied “there’s nothing we can do.”
If public officials refuse to do those things they need to be replaced.
It can be done—but it takes determination and a “never quit” attitude.
Does the 9th Circuit think that homeless encampments along public streets is peaceable? Can't cities appeal the 9th on 1st amendment grounds, arguing that homeless encampments are not peaceable assembly and that it actually prevents the peaceable assembly of others?
-PJ
No, no, no! They don't want to be on the edge of town, unless there is transportation to city centers in order to beg (and steal). For example, San Francisco provides vans to pick up and drop off homeless around the city, as well as providing shelters that provide amenities such as "free" medical, recreation, laundry facilities, telephone use, and drugs and needles. All that is costly. Do you want that in your town?
Here is my solution (which will never happen). Outsource the problem to Mexico and Canada. Get an agreement with those countries and pay them for operating huge homeless camps there, and transport all the homeless to Mexico and Canada. Either we waste money on homeless here, or we waste the money at other countries (which has the side benefit of cleaning up our public areas).
/bad DannyTN mode off
In a 2018 study, Brian T. Fitzpatrick, a law professor at Vanderbilt, found that the 9th Circuit had the highest reversal rate per case, with 1.19 reversals per case.
That wouldn't cover the cost of all the (direct and indirect) damages incurred during that one night.
Feces removal, rinsing vomit off the sidewalk, picking up and disposing of contaminated needles, etc. - not to mention reduced revenues of honest, hardworking shopkeepers whose customers are staying away in droves due to the stench, harassment, etc.
Then throw in the additional cost of policing the area.
Regards,
Most of the "homeless" don't even want to enter a shelter.
They are unwilling to abide by the rules of the shelters, and prefer the "freedom" of the "open road" (read: your front porch).
"Putting them in a place" would boil down to incarcerating them.
Regards,
The folks in question are not “homeless”.
The folks in question are “tent dwellers”
The larger issue is that the Supreme Court killed all vagrancy laws decades ago. That decision needs to be reversed.
Stop feeding them, paying them and eventually they will leave and move back to CA.
You are making the assumption that homeless people have no money and that in many cases is a false assumption.
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