As most readers already know, the entire western US has been dealing with a growing homeless problem for years. That problem has been exacerbated by a couple of court decisions issued by the 9th Circuit (whose decisions only apply to western states). The two decisions, Boise and Grants Pass, both found that municipalities do not have the right to force homeless people off of benches or sidewalks because doing so would constitute a violation of the 8th Amendment which protects Americans against cruel and unusual punishment.
Basically the thinking is that you can’t penalize people for sleeping outside if they have nowhere else to sleep. And this has been extended to the idea that cities and counties could require homeless people to move but only if the city can offer them a bed (in a shelter, for instance).
However, there’s yet another wrinkle, which is that as it stands now the…
