A group of homeless individuals in Portland have filed a class action lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court against the city’s homeless camping restrictions.
According to the group, the city’s current restrictions are in violation of Oregon law and the state’s constitution.
The lawsuit suggests that people who are involuntarily homeless have been subject to unreasonable punishments.
“The ordinance subjects the approximately 10,000 Portlanders living outside every night to 30 days in jail for violating a law that is impossible to understand or comply with,” the lawsuit claims.
As the ban currently stands, homeless people are not allowed to set up their housing on public land between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. and violators will reportedly be issued two warnings, and the third violation could result in a fine or jail time.
From The Blaze:
Ed Johnson, the Oregon Law Center's litigation director, said that the city's ban "will exacerbate our city's problems, not solve them," adding that "[w]e all want to end homelessness. But this is not the way to do it." “This ordinance is a huge step in the wrong direction,” he said. “It criminalizes our neighbors living outside and it wastes money that could be spent on proven solutions.”
