"What our governments are doing at the state and local levels is
blaming people because they cannot afford housing and making their
very existence a crime."
In Supreme Court case, SPLC supports rights of people experiencing
homelessness
[link removed]
Esther Schrader Read the full piece here
[link removed]
Friend,
On a day off from the crush of representing her constituents, you might find Florida state Sen. Rosalind Osgood on a park bench in the sun, her eyes closed.
Or you might come across attorney David Peery, a graduate of Howard University and George Washington University Law School, enjoying a Sunday nap on a grassy esplanade in Miami, where he lives.
It is almost certain that neither would elicit a second glance from the police. Sleeping in a park is, after all, not a crime.
Or is it?
If you are experiencing homelessness, the U.S. Supreme Court could rule in a case it will hear on April 22 that you can be cited or arrested for the simplest of human functions - falling asleep.
In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, the court will ultimately decide whether a city's enforcement
of public camping laws against unhoused people violates the Eighth Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
[link removed]
The Southern Poverty Law Center has, along with other social justice
organizations, filed an amicus "friend-of-the-court" brief to support the claims of the plaintiffs experiencing homelessness that such laws are unlawful status crimes. The SPLC filed the amicus brief on behalf of itself and other nonprofit poverty law organizations in Florida that work on issues of housing and homelessness: Southern Legal Counsel, Florida Justice Institute, Florida Legal Services, Community Justice Project, Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County and the Florida Housing Umbrella Group. SPLC advocates will also participate in a rally outside the courthouse on April 22 in support of rights for unhoused people.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/[link removed]
"Instead of fixing the system from the policy level, what our governments are doing at the state and local levels is blaming people because they cannot afford housing and making their very existence a crime," said Kirsten Anderson, deputy legal director for the SPLC's Economic Justice litigation team.
Read More
[link removed]
In solidarity,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.
Friend, will you make a gift to help the SPLC fight for justice and equity in courts and combat white supremacy?
Donate Now
[link removed]
--
Unsubscribe [link removed] | Privacy Policy [link removed] | Contact Us [link removed]
Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334.956.8200 // splcenter.org
[link removed]
Copyright 2023
