Liberal Justices Challenge Oregon City’s Homelessness Ban as SCOTUS Considers Key Case
Democracy NowApr 19
SCOTUS Upholds Outdoor Sleeping Ban
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The Facts
In a 6-3 ruling, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) overturned a lower court decision which found that it was cruel and unusual punishment for the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, to enforce anti-camping laws against the homeless when no shelter space was available.
Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch called homelessness a "complex" issue, saying judges did not have the right to "dictate this Nation’s homelessness policy." They also found that homelessness was not a protected status covered by the Eighth Amendment.
The Spin
Left narrative
This decision criminalizes being homeless, and allows governments to take increasingly punitive and draconian actions against a vulnerable population. A coalition of politicians from across the spectrum seemingly endorses the notion that you can jail your way out of the housing crisis as they try to keep the homeless out of sight and out of mind. This ruling is unconstitutional and inhumane. We need real solutions to fix homelessness.
Right narrative
Homelessness is a pressing social issue, and rulings that have outlawed camping bans have hamstrung governments from taking action. Without a camping ban, many of those suffering from chronic homelessness have no incentive to enter shelters or treatment. Progressive judges left cities with no options as encampments, violence, and crime proliferated due to their bleeding-heart attitude, with even progressive leaders crying for change.