FAQ: Preliminary Injunction Against the Criminalization of Homelessness in San Francisco

by Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area

Q: What is the holding of the Ninth Circuit case Martin v. Boise?

A: In Martin v. Boise, the Ninth Circuit determined that the government cannot arrest poor people for sitting, lying, or sleeping in public when they have no real alternative. The decision does not cover individuals who do have access to appropriate shelter or housing.

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Coalition on Homelessness et al v. San Francisco: City Emboldened to Continue Sweeps Despite Injunction

Counter rally outside Browning Courthouse in San Francisco on August 23, 2023

Mayor London Breed announced that the City plans to resume enforcing laws governing homelessness in San Francisco in the latest development in a lawsuit against San Francisco for how it conducts operations on street homeless encampments

In a Medium post on September 25, Mayor Breed said that a district court order from last December has prevented the City from enforcing several of its homelessness ordinances—while allowing street cleaning and clearing blocked sidewalks—but lawyers for the Coalition on Homelessness and seven unhoused plaintiffs dispute that assertion.

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Love in the Time Of Sweeps: A Couple’s Fight to Find Shelter Together

by Bradley Penner and Alastair Boone

One couple’s struggle to access resources after an encampment sweep sheds light on one way the coordinated entry process breaks down

On the morning of Monday, August 8, 2023, Shawn and Genea woke up in Mosswood Park to the sound of a track loader rumbling outside their tent. As the loader’s claw trudged through a neighbor’s possessions along the Webster Street fence line,

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Landlords’ Party Celebrating The End Of The Covid Eviction Moratorium Ends In Confrontation Between Tenants And Landlords

Protesters holding banner reading "Evictions? Hell No"

by Bradley Penner

Fights broke out at Freehouse Pub as tenants protested a party celebrating the end of tenant protections throughout the city of Berkeley

On the evening of September 12, local landlords with the Berkeley Property Owners Association (BPOA) hosted a private mixer at Freehouse Pub to celebrate the end of Berkeley’s eviction moratorium.

“I think it’s pretty insensitive and shows how they’re not really part of the community,” Berkeley Rent Board chair Leah Simon-Wiesberg told Street Spirit.

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It’s Not Your Imagination. Working is Tough.

by Jack Bragen

Many people don’t find it difficult to work a job, and as a result they may lack empathy for those of us who find it highly challenging.  They just can’t relate to the challenge of working with a disabling condition. Therefore, they might believe something is wrong with the person who finds work to be difficult. Or they might believe a person who has a problem with it is lazy or that they intend to mess things up. 

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