The Supreme Court announced Monday it will not hear a challenge over a city’s ban on homeless camps.
Boise, Idaho, asked the Supreme Court in August to overturn a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that said the law was unconstitutional, calling it “catastrophic” and arguing that cities across the West would lose control of their homeless situations if they can’t impose criminal penalties on lawbreakers.
Legal counsel for the Idaho capital said their laws prohibiting sleeping on public property are an attempt to keep residents safe and to promote public health and sanitation.
In ruling the Boise law unconstitutional, the appeals court said last year that Boise didn’t make enough beds available in its homeless shelters, so ticketing people who end up on the streets is illegally cruel.
With the high court deciding not to hear the case, the 9th Circuit decision stands.
According to court documents, one of Boise’s encampments, which used to be a public skate park for youth, saw a murder in 2014 when violence erupted between the campers.
Physical violence and drug use also have increased, according to the filing.
Mark Ridley-Thomas, supervisor for the Second District in the County of Los Angeles, said supporting Boise’s appeal to the high court was not about criminalizing homelessness but instead, finding a legal framework for the humanitarian crisis.
“Letting the current law stand handicaps cities and counties from acting nimbly to aid those perishing on the streets, exacerbating unsafe and unhealthy conditions that negatively affect our most vulnerable residents,” he said in a statement.
“We should not resign ourselves to a reality where places not fit for human habitation become the default living situation for people experiencing homelessness. I refuse to accept this as our new normal,” Mr. Ridley-Thomas added. “We will continue to pursue bold and compassionate decisions to help all our neighbors live a life of dignity and worth.”
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