Cities Facing Lawsuits Over New Homeless Crackdowns

Justin Jouvenal of The Washington Post reports on the legal skirmishes that have been breaking out across the country, as cities have attempted to criminalize panhandling and public camping in order to push the homeless out of revitalized downtowns and tourist areas. The homeless crisis has forced cities, including Honolulu and Sarasota, Florida, to walk a fine line that seeks to move the homeless off the street while also respecting their rights. David Cross, a homeless resident in Sarasota, has filed suit against the city for barring him from sleeping outside without providing an alternative.

Cross was given an infraction for lodging outdoors on a night that he said the officer told him there was no room at Sarasota’s only homeless shelter. Cross said he wondered: Where was he supposed to go? He sought out the ACLU, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Cross and five other plaintiffs. The suit claims that Cross’s experience is common. ... Even if the shelter had more room, Cross said the city’s expanded anti-panhandling law made it difficult to raise the nightly fee for a bed. The law enacted in 2013 bars soliciting at bus stops, cafes, parks, garages and a host of other locations. The lawsuit argued that the ordinance was a violation of free-speech rights.

Jouvenal reports that in a survey of 187 cities, between 2011 and 2014 new laws banning panhandling increased 25 percent, camping prohibitions increased 60 percent, and bans on sleeping in cars increased 119 percent.