Local organizations react to SCOTUS ruling on camping bans

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Local organizations in Austin reacted to the Supreme Court ruling that cities can enforce camping bans on people experiencing homelessness.

In a 6-3 decision, the high court reversed a ruling by the Ninth Circuit and found outdoor camping bans do not violate Eighth Amendment protections.

Save Austin Now released the following statement as a reaction to the ruling:

Residents of all cities deserve to have a safe community where public spaces are available to the public, not commandeered by small groups for private use,” said Save Austin Now co-founders Matt Mackowiak and Cleo Petricek. “The worst Mayor in Austin history, Steve Adler, speciously claimed that the 9th Circuit ruling in this very case posed a threat to the City of Austin in his absurd justification for passing the disastrous camping ordinance in July 2019 in the first place. The will of the voters was clear in May 2021 when Prop B was overwhelmingly passed. Despite that, the City of Austin has not fully enforced Prop B and according to @DocumentingATX and the data visualization firm Nomadik, we now have more than 100 active encampments in our city, all in violation of city ordinance and state law. Enough is enough. We will see our lawsuit with the City of Austin through to the end no matter what it takes. We renew our call on Mayor Kirk Watson, City Manager T.C. Broadnax, and the City Council to respect the will of the voters and this U.S. Supreme Court ruling and now fully enforce Prop B. Our public safety requires it.

Save Austin Now

Save Austin Now PAC is a grassroots organization "dedicated to Austin's quality of life," according to the organization's website.

Additionally, VOCAL-TX also released a statement as a reaction to the ruling:

In an unsurprising but shameful ruling, the least democratic branch of our government has just empowered communities across the country to do what is already the status quo in Austin and Texas: punish people for being poor. Regardless of the Court’s ruling, we know that jailing or ticketing people for experiencing homelessness is cruel and unusual, inhumane, and makes homelessness worse. When they lay their heads down to sleep tonight, thousands of homeless people across America will be breaking the law. We have been fighting against criminalization and for the dignity and rights of people who are unhoused for many years and we will remain steadfast in our commitment to replace criminalization with compassion, care and housing.

VOCAL-TX

VOCAL-TX's mission is to build "a movement of low-income people dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic, the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and homelessness across the country," the organization's website said.

Background on the ruling

The case, Grants Pass v. Johnson, originated from three public camping ordinances passed by the City of Grants Pass in Oregon, which the city said aims to protect public health and safety by addressing the growing issue of encampments.

Under the Grants Pass ordinances, public sleeping and camping prohibitions are enforced through civil citations instead of criminal fines or jail terms. If an individual is cited twice, they may be subject to an exclusion order barring them from a city park for 30 days — the violation of which may result in criminal trespass charges.

“Homelessness is complex. Its causes are many. So may be the public policy responses required to address it,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority. “A handful of federal judges cannot begin to ‘match’ the collective wisdom the American people possess in deciding ‘how best to handle’ a pressing social question like homelessness.”

The City of Austin's Camping Ban

Voters in the City of Austin passed Proposition B in May 2021, which reinstated Austin’s public camping ban, imposing penalties on individuals camping near downtown and The University of Texas. It also applies to camping in public areas not designated by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.

This ban followed a bill passed by the Texas House in early May 2021 and that went into effect in September 2021, which enacted a camping ban statewide and would also punish local governments that do not enforce the ban.

The latest data from the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) said there are 5,020 people in Austin likely experiencing unsheltered homelessness.