Cruelty reigns in encampments, and to an unusual degree; a more civilized society would put up with them less.
Throughout the West Coast, homeless encampments have led to outbreaks of diseases, such as typhus, that are associated with pre-civilized times. Progressive judges, however, believe that what’s really barbaric are communities’ attempts to regulate homelessness. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, headquartered in California, has ruled that laws against public camping violate the U.S. Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishments.” Those rulings have paralyzed cities’ ability to address deteriorating street conditions.
But change may be afoot. On April 22, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Grants Pass v. Johnson. Under review is a 2022 Ninth Circuit decision about municipal restrictions on public camping. Many expect that ruling to be reversed, empowering state and local policy-makers to take action against homelessness.
There are multiple ways to express the awesome magnitude of West Coast homelessness. About 120,000 people live unsheltered in California, or half of all street homeless Americans. Some single encampments have been host to hundreds of people, or more than the total homeless populations of midsized cities in flyover America. Before it was cleaned up in 2018, the Santa Ana Riverbed encampment’s sprawling dimensions were captured in a six-minute-long YouTube video shot by a cyclist. Its cleanup produced over 5,000 pounds of hazardous waste and about 14,000 hypodermic needles.
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Stephen Eide is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
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