Mayor Mike Johnston has assured"nothing changes" after a Supreme Court ruling in favor of camping bans, but advocates are on edge.
Grants Pass — a small city in southwest Oregon with 38,000 residents, about 600 of whom are homeless — lost a class-action lawsuit filed in 2018 to end its camping ban. The ban allowed the city to fine anyone sleeping outside and send them to jail after repeat offenses, with the original lawsuit filed on behalf of the city's homeless population.
"Nothing has changed in our approach or commitment to addressing homelessness through dignity and support as part of the All In Mile High effort," says Jose Salas, a spokesperson for Johnston's office."We do not need the U.S. Supreme Court's guidance to know the right way to address homelessness is through compassion and humanity. In Denver, we believe people should sleep in their own beds, not street corners.
Deborah Richardson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, says in a statement that the Supreme Court decision will"imperil lives" but that the ACLU will continue"our advocacy for the rights of unhoused Colorado residents.