Appeals Court Gives Greenlight For Dem City To Clear Out Homeless Camps

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that San Francisco can clear out homeless camps in light of a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted an injunction issued in December 2022 that required the city to offer immediate shelter before removing encampments, stating that it otherwise violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishments. The Supreme Court ruled in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson that localities have the ability to ban homeless encampments on public property.

The ruling states that the city must collect any personal property and allow individuals to retrieve it for up to 90 days. Officers are also required to leave a note at the cleared site identifying where the property can be found.

The court also upheld that the city had the right to enforce its policy, shrugging off pleas from city officials asking that they not be forced to follow the new guidelines, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

“This decision by the Supreme Court will help cities like San Francisco manage our public spaces more effectively and efficiently,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement following the Supreme Court decision, adding that she hopes the city will remove all tent camps from its streets. “We will continue to offer shelter, but we will not allow those who reject offers of help to remain where they are.”