The City of San Francisco is hoping to overturn a federal court order preventing sweeps of homeless encampments.
The federal ruling from December blocks San Francisco from enforcing anti-encampment laws against involuntarily homeless people. Judge Donna Ryu ruled that any enforcement or threat of these laws constituted cruel and unusual punishment, seeing as San Francisco does not have enough shelter beds for its unhoused population.
City Attorney David Chiu responded with an appeal that challenged the definition of “involuntarily homeless.” Deputy City Attorney Wayne Snodgrass argued for the appeal today in court.
“San Francisco needs to be able to use all the tools that state and local legislators — and the voters acting by initiative — have enacted, including laws that restrict the use of public rights of way for camping, lying, or sleeping,” Snodgrass said.
Mayor London Breed spoke outside the court building on 7th Street this morning to a crowd of protestors, arguing that allowing unhoused people to remain in encampments was inhumane.
Some of the protestors agreed with her, and had gathered with signs in support of the city’s appeal. Others, who supported the federal injunction, chanted “stop the sweeps.”
Arguments concluded this morning. There is not yet a timeline for when the court will render an opinion.
