The city of Berkeley, California has become synonymous with far-left politics, making it the last place you would expect to embrace homeless sweeps. And yet, last week the city council voted to approve sweeps at two homeless camps that have been troubling the city for a long time.
Berkeley is embracing an aggressive approach to homeless encampments by allowing city workers to sweep tents even if no shelter beds are open and arrest or cite people in limited circumstances. Despite its reputation as one of the most liberal cities in the Bay Area, officials said they’re frustrated with two particularly entrenched encampments and need a tougher hand.
The Berkeley City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday evening to adopt the legislation following two hours of public comment during which most speakers opposed the proposal. The move came less than two months after the Supreme Court ruled in its…
