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Homeless advocates say SF violating court order on sweeps

Ignacio Munguia
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Flickr / Creative Commons

The Coalition on Homelessness filed an injunction earlier this week with the U.S. District Court of Northern California alleging that the city is sending law enforcement officers to clear homeless people from the streets – which would violate a court order issued in December.

That’s when US Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu ordered the city to cease sweeps targeting the homeless.The coalition – a non-profit group that advocates for the unhoused – has accused the city of criminalizing homelessness through its policy and seeks to have the federal court verify whether it is sending police, instead of service workers.

They claim that police have forcibly removed some homeless people from encampments and destroyed their belongings.

Last year, the coalition filed suit against the City of San Francisco to ban sweeps until the city can provide beds and shelter for thousands of homeless residents.

Earlier this month, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said the city is committed to a services-first approach in dealing with the homeless and has gone to great lengths to comply with the court order.

Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.