Members of a clean-up crew remove belongings that have been left behind by occupants as the National Park Service clears the homeless encampment at McPherson Square on Feb. 15, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Donald Whitehead Jr., executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said that when cities force unhoused people to move out of encampments, they’re putting their health at risk. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
A Friday decision from the U.S. Supreme Court allowing local governments to prohibit people experiencing homelessness from sleeping outside sparked fear in one homelessness-assistance leader in Central Arkansas.
“I feel a lot of things: Fear, outrage, shame, anger,” said Aaron Reddin, founder of The Van . “… Mostly fear. I don’t trust our governments locally, and I’m just afraid of them having more sway in what they can and can’t go out and do to these folks.”
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision split on ideological lines with conservative members arguing that homelessness is a complex issue that should be left up to local authority. Liberal members opposed the Oregon city’s ordinance, and said it criminalized being homeless by including fines and potential jail time for repeat offenders who camp or sleep outdoors.