What the Supreme Court Doesn’t Get About Homelessness
AtlanticJul 10
California Gov. Newsom Signs Order for Homeless Encampment Clearances
Above: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference on February 01, 2023 in Sacramento, California. Image copyright: Justin Sullivan/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order instructing state agencies to clear unsafe homeless encampments authorizing local governments to use state resources to remove the encampments with "urgency and humanity."
On June 28, the US Supreme Court ruled that it's constitutional for governments to enforce outdoor sleeping bans and other measures against homeless encampments and overturned restrictions the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals placed on such laws.
The Spin
Left narrative
Empowered by a wrongheaded and callous decision by SCOTUS, Newsom has taken the least humane and most ineffective route to address the crisis of homelessness. California is facing a housing crisis that lies at the root cause of homelessness, and Newsom has failed to make meaningful progress toward improving the housing situation in the state.
Right narrative
Progressive judges had hamstrung any attempts made to keep people off the streets, with even mainstream Democrat leaders crying out for change. Now that legal obstacles to tackling homelessness have been removed, there are no excuses for not taking swift action against encampments. With time, and stomach to face the activist class, the crisis of homelessness can actually be solved — Newsom has been dragged to do the right thing.