Oregonians are speaking out after the Friday, June 28, news that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a homelessness ordinance in Grants Pass, Oregon, saying the city’s prohibition on outdoor camping does not violate the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
The ruling could pave the way for stricter rules on homelessness in every Oregon community, and the ripple effect could reach across state lines.
“Today’s ruling doesn’t change the immediate reality on our streets,” wrote Jessica Vega Pederson, chairwoman of the Multnomah County commission, “and it doesn’t change the urgent work ahead of us: People still need places to stay warm and dry and ultimately leave homelessness. People still need additional services to transition into shelter or housing. And we must continue to do more — and do it faster and better.”
Vega Pederson said the county and the office of the Portland mayor are working to build “a Homelessness Response System and develop and deliver on a Homelessness Response Action Plan that fundamentally reshapes and refocuses our work so we can serve thousands more people in need moving forward.”