Oregon Town Bans Homelessness
As I’m sure many of us know, homelessness is a massive problem in America. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, over 650,000 people in America are homeless. One city in Oregon has decided to crack down on people sleeping in public, specifically in parks and other public areas, and the Supreme Court sided with them.
The local law enforcement in the town of Grant’s Pass, Oregon has basically banned people from sleeping with a blanket or pillow on any public land, at any time. They argued that they were trying to keep public spaces safe and available to everyone. Citizens of the small town claimed that homeless people sleeping in parks and other public spaces were having a negative effect on the community. The decision was so controversial it was eventually escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court. There were arguments from judges on both sides of the aisle.
One of the Supreme Court’s more liberal-leaning justices, Sonia Sotomayor, argued against Grant Pass preventing people from sleeping in public. She said “You don’t arrest babies who have blankets over them. You don’t arrest people who are sleeping on the beach.” Justice Kagan seemed to share Sotomayor’s opinion, saying, “Sleeping is a biological necessity. It’s sort of like breathing…But I wouldn’t expect you to criminalize breathing in public.” The court’s conservative judges claimed it can be difficult to distinguish between someone’s behavior, which can be legally punished, and someone being in a position or having a status they can’t change, which can’t be legally punished. Justice Gorsuch took the side of Grant Pass, saying, “How about if there are no public bathroom facilities? Do people have a right to defecate and urinate? Is that conduct or is that status? In the end, the Supreme Court sided with Grant’s Pass.
Grant’s Pass is a town of about 40,000, and is currently short about 4,000 housing units. The fact that the city doesn’t have a homeless shelter only makes things worse. Going forward, those who violate the city’s code against setting up “bedding, sleeping bags, or material used for bedding” will be fined $295, with the fine increasing for each offense.