Homeless advocates in Denver decry SCOTUS ruling

Denver and national homeless advocates were quick to condemn the Supreme Court's decision to call an Oregon city's urban camping ban constitutional.

Why it matters: They say the ruling allows homelessness to remain criminalized in Denver, where a ban has been on the books since 2012, and continue what they call ineffective practices.

Catch up quick: The ruling says Grants Pass, Oregon's ability to enforce its camping ban did not amount to "cruel and unusual punishment" — a violation of the Eighth Amendment — even when sheltering isn't available.

What they're saying: "This decision imperils the lives, safety, and dignity of people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity," ACLU of Colorado executive director Deborah Richardson said Friday in a statement.

• Richardson says addressing homelessness through ticketing, arrests and jailing is "inhumane and ineffectual."

Threat level: Housekeys Action Network Denver, a homeless advocacy group, said in a statement that the ruling would, "exacerbate the already negligent and abusive conditions unhoused people face every day."

Sarah Gillespie, who studies solutions to homelessness at the nonpartisan Urban Institute, says research suggests camping bans — which can lead to ticketing and arrests — don't lead to positive outcomes.

• She says providing shelters with low barriers for entry and building affordable housing are more constructive ways to solve the issue.
• The Urban Institute and the ACLU were among the groups who filed amicus briefs supporting the claim that the Oregon city's law violated the Eighth Amendment.

The intrigue: Gillespie says the court made it clear that policy solutions are needed.

• It's a point Justice Neil Gorsuch raised in his majority opinion : "Homelessness is complex. Its causes are many. So may be the public policy responses required to address it."

The other side: Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for Mayor Mike Johnston, said Friday's ruling doesn't change Denver's approach, which involves enforcing the camping ban usually without ticketing people .

• The administration still plans to bring another 1,000 people indoors this year . Ewing said the city doesn't need the court's guidance "to know the right way to address homelessness is through compassion and humanity."

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