Supreme Court Refuses to Revive City's Outdoor-Sleeping Ban

[Polybius]

Source: Bloomberg Law

The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a ruling that said homeless people have a constitutional right to sleep on public property outdoors if no other shelter is available to them.

The justices without comment on Monday turned away an appeal by Boise, Idaho, which said the federal appeals court ruling would leave cities “powerless” to address residents’ health and safety concerns.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Boise would be violating the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishments by enforcing criminal penalties under its anti-camping ordinance when its three homeless shelters are full.

“The state may not criminalize conduct that is an unavoidable consequence of being homeless -- namely sitting, lying, or sleeping on the streets,” the 9th Circuit said.

Read more: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/supreme-court-refuses-to-revive-citys-outdoor-sleeping-ban?campaign=9B4A0578-2013-11EA-8AE6-81B54F017A06&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=lawdesk

[groundloop]

1. Simple solution - provide them with decent shelter

And while we're at it let's get everyone healthcare, mental services, and throw in some job training. In the long term those things will easily pay for themselves and we'd live in a better world.

[LeftInTX]

2. Sometimes homelessness is complicated

We had a guy speak at a group who stated that sometimes homeless people chose that life because they were sexually abused and associate beds and enclosed spaces with abuse.

So, I'm glad the court ruled in their favor. There will probably always be a group who chooses to sleep outdoors etc.


Of course this does not apply to all homeless people. Just pointing out why a certain group would chose to sleep in a park even if shelters are available.

[geretogo]

3. Homelessness should not exist in a country with so much wealth in the hands of so few period .