Can homeless people be fined for sleeping outside? A rural Oregon city asks the US Supreme Court

girlfreddy@lemmy.ca to News@lemmy.world – 320 points – Can homeless people be fined for sleeping outside? A rural Oregon city asks the US Supreme Court
apnews.com

The scenes were emblematic of the crisis gripping the small, Oregon mountain town of Grants Pass, where a fierce fight over park space has become a battleground for a much larger, national debate on homelessness that has reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

The town’s case, set to be heard April 22, has broad implications for how not only Grants Pass, but communities nationwide address homelessness, including whether they can fine or jail people for camping in public. It has made the town of 40,000 the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis, and further fueled the debate over how to deal with it.

“I certainly wish this wasn’t what my town was known for,” Mayor Sara Bristol told The Associated Press last month. “It’s not the reason why I became mayor. And yet it has dominated every single thing that I’ve done for the last 3 1/2 years.”

Officials across the political spectrum — from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in California, which has nearly 30% of the nation’s homeless population, to a group of 22 conservative-led states — have filed briefs in the case, saying lower court rulings have hamstrung their ability to deal with encampments.

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Pretty much, yeah, you don't have the right to leech off everyone else. Contribute or GTFO.

Since one day you will go bankrupt, or your children will be destitute, and we can throw you all in a cell and laugh at you, I think your lack of empathy has the perfect end game.

Careful about them medical bills when you have a heart attack, tough guy. We don’t like poor people around here.

Been bankrupt, addicted to vicodin, and had 2 heart attacks with a bonus of open heart surgery. Never homeless. Never had to steal from others to get by.

You paid for all those procedures or you got it from the government?

Health insurance through my employer, because, you know, I work for a living.

Funny thing, after working in the medical profession many years, you’ve made it all up. The statistics of surviving these things, combined, its zero unless you’re a billionaire. Also since insurance paid for it, you didn’t. Oh that’s different though isn’t it.

I don’t debate liars

LOL my open heart surgery scar begs to differ.

If you want to read the full story, you can check my reddit post on it here:

https://www.reddit.com/exjydod

huh, looks like the parent thread got deleted... you can catch the copy on "bestof" here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/bestof/comments/ctgc8z/ujordanlund_describes_his_experience_with_us/

The bit that has changed since then is the 2nd heart attack in January... Was running short of breath, thought it was because they changed my meds. Doc told me to go down to the ER and get checked.

Troponin was elevated again. Well, fuck. Having a heart attack right there in the ER... and the power goes out. January remember? This was right in the middle of the ice storm.

They get me checked in, get me an angiogram, tell me I need a stent but they can't do it at Mount Hood, I need an ambulance ride to Good Sam, and the ambulance system is over loaded.

https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2024/01/22/911-was-inundated-with-calls-for-medical-help-during-the-ice-storm/

So, first night at Mount Hood, I wake up around 6 AM and am screwing around on my phone. Nurse comes in...

"Hey, were you asleep?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Your heart rate dropped to 40."

". . . Is that bad?"

Yeah, apparently bad.

They tell me again, ambulance should be there around 10:30 that night.

Same deal... Wake up around 6 AM, on the phone... nurse comes in...

"Were you asleep about an hour ago?"

"Yeah, my heart slow down again?"

"No, your heart stopped for eight seconds."

"Uh, thanks? I guess? I don't know what to do with that information. But wait, the machines didn't go off, aren't they supposed to go off or something?"

"Alerted us at the nurses station."

Anyway, the ambulance showed up that morning, got me to Good Sam and I got stented.

4 days, 2 hospitals, 1 ambulance ride, $2,100 after insurance. Big difference from Kaiser.

How is sleeping outside and not taking anything leeching off everyone else?