A group of homeless people in Portland, Oregon, filed a class action lawsuit Friday challenging new restrictions the city placed on day camping in an effort to address safety issues stemming from the crisis of people living on the streets.
The lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court alleges the restrictions violate Oregon law and the state constitution because they subject unsheltered people to voluntary permanent stays for unavoidable activities including sleeping and staying dry, reports The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Violators can face jail time and/or fines of up to $100.
Attorneys at the Oregon Law Center, which represented the plaintiffs, sought a temporary restraining order from the court to prevent the city from enforcing the restrictions until the lawsuit is resolved.
“The ordinance subjects approximately 10,000 Portlanders who live outside each night to 30 days in jail for breaking a law that is impossible to understand or obey,” the lawsuit claims.
Portland’s city council voted in June to pass an ordinance banning daytime camping in most public places as the city, along with other cities across the US, grapples with a long-standing crisis of people living outside.
The measure says people can camp in unrestricted areas from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., but during that time they must dismantle their campsites until permitted overnight hours resume.
Camping is also completely banned near schools, parks and busy streets among other locations.
“The ordinance subjects approximately 10,000 Portlanders who live outside each night to 30 days in jail for breaking a law that is impossible to understand or obey,” the lawsuit claims.Bloomberg via Getty Images Business and property owners are among those in support. the measure, which was introduced by the mayor, said the campgrounds cost them customers and created safety issues.AP
The Oregon Law Center’s litigation director, Ed Johnson, in a statement called the move a “huge step in the wrong direction,” saying the city needs more supportive housing, rental assistance, tenant protections and support to stabilize unhoused Portlanders. so they can access better. housing and services.
Mayor Ted Wheeler’s spokesman, Cody Bowman, declined to comment to the press about the lawsuit but said the city plans to begin enforcing the new rules in the coming weeks.
Wheeler said the prosecution will focus on alternative sentences that link people to resources.
Bowman said the city is focusing on education and outreach efforts related to the ordinance and will give the public two weeks’ notice before enforcement begins.
The measure says people can camp in unrestricted areas from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., but during that time they must dismantle their campsites until permitted overnight hours resume.AP
Business and property owners are among those who support the measure, which was introduced by the mayor, saying the campgrounds cost them customers and create safety issues.
Advocates for people experiencing homelessness say it will further burden them, increasing mental and physical stress.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
