, Columnist
The Supreme Court Just Made Homelessness Worse
The justices essentially decided it’s not cruel and unusual punishment to ban and charge people with crimes for sleeping outdoors on public property.
It’s now a crime to be homeless.
Photographer: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles TimesThis article is for subscribers only.
What to do about homeless encampments, which spill from freeway underpasses, block sidewalks and snake along riverbeds, has long been a question for politicians in the West.
On Friday, the US Supreme Court offered an answer, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for even the beginning of a solution for homelessness. In fact, the justices might’ve just made the problem worse.