How SCOTUS ruling on homeless camping impacts Seattle
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People sleep on a sidewalk in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. Photo: Karen Ducey/Getty Images
A Supreme Court decision that effectively allows cities to enact restrictive laws targeting outdoor camping will not change Seattle's official policies on homelessness, according to the mayor's office.
Why it matters: The decision, seen by some as among the most consequential legal rulings on homelessness, could open the door for Seattle and other cities to pursue more stringent policies or expand existing regulations against public camping.
The big picture: Homelessness is a chronic flashpoint in Seattle and King County. Washington had the sixth-highest rate of homelessness among states last year, rising faster than the national rate.
Driving the news: The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Friday in favor of Grants Pass, Oregon's policies criminalizing sleeping outside, even when shelter space is unavailable.
- The ruling determined that the city's policies of ticketing and jailing those who break municipal code do not violate the Eighth Amendment's cruel and unusual punishment clause.
What they're saying: The office of Mayor Bruce Harrell, who identified clearing encampments as a priority for his administration, issued a statement on Friday saying the city's approach to encampments is based on offering shelter and services and "keeping public spaces clean and accessible for everyone."
- "The Supreme Court decision will not affect that approach," said spokesperson Callie Craighead.
- City Attorney Ann Davison, who drafted a brief in support of Grants Pass, said the decision recognizes the importance of local authority and that "addressing homelessness is a task for locally elected leaders."
The other side: Local homelessness advocates blasted the court's decision, saying it criminalizes being poor and unsheltered.
- "Today's Supreme Court decision is devastating to all working-class people across the nation. We can and must do better as a country to take care of our most vulnerable," said City Councilmember Tammy J. Morales in an email.
- Morales said she intends to work toward increased tenant protections, eviction prevention, human services funding and social housing.
Between the lines: Two ongoing court cases may have a bigger local impact, Alison Eisinger, the executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, told Axios.
- That includes the ACLU's suit against Seattle over the city's homelessness policies and the homelessness coalition's suit before the state Supreme Court against the city of Burien's ban on resting, lying down or sleeping on public property between 7pm and 6am.
- Eisinger said the SCOTUS ruling may also prompt more legal action from local homelessness advocacy groups.
What we're watching: ACLU Washington vowed to pursue legal strategies to protect homeless people under the state constitution.
- "We cannot punish our way out of homelessness and poverty," Michele Storms, executive director of the ACLU of Washington, said in a statement.