{"id":28123,"date":"2023-08-24T12:34:10","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T19:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=28123"},"modified":"2023-08-24T12:34:12","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T19:34:12","slug":"dueling-rallies-show-homelessness-divides-sf-more-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/08\/24\/dueling-rallies-show-homelessness-divides-sf-more-than-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Dueling rallies show homelessness divides SF more than ever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n<li>By Allyson Alekseyand Natalia Gurevich | Examiner staff writers |<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aug 23, 2023\u00a0Updated\u00a017 hrs ago  (SFExaminer.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/7\/fe\/7fe2ec48-4204-11ee-a76d-bf4bd72abd6e\/64e6883ec25c5.image.png?resize=400%2C300\" alt=\"img_6993_720.png\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Opposing sides of San Francisco converged at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday morning for a hearing about one of the major flashpoints embroiling The City: how to best serve its unhoused population.\u00a0Natalia Gurevich\/The Examiner<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Opposing sides of San Francisco converged at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday morning for a hearing about one of the major flashpoints embroiling The City: how to best serve its unhoused population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oral arguments in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/the-city\/city-attorney-rejects-solution-offered-by-unhoused-advocates\/article_09e84dcc-37bd-11ee-9587-070d1f7592f6.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the ongoing legal<\/a>&nbsp;battle between The City and the Coalition on Homelessness were made Wednesday over illegal street sweeps of homeless encampments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/is-san-francisco-waging-a-cruel-illegal-war-against-the-homeless\/article_46e9d5b4-3f62-11ed-8bec-bfdb3b426f50.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The coalition filed a lawsuit<\/a>&nbsp;against The City in September, alleging that officials were conducting illegal street sweeps of homeless encampments without offering unhoused people adequate alternatives to shelter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In December, Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu issued an injunction against The City, ordering officials to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/the-city\/how-a-judges-ruling-could-impact-sfs-homeless-sweeps\/article_57764b0e-86d6-11ed-8dde-176835999e6f.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suspend certain sweeps of homeless encampments<\/a>, offer adequate shelter and catalog unclaimed belongings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the months since, the coalition has accused The City of not abiding by the injunction, a claim that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/the-city\/city-attorney-rejects-solution-offered-by-unhoused-advocates\/article_09e84dcc-37bd-11ee-9587-070d1f7592f6.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">City Attorney David Chiu<\/a>&nbsp;disputed earlier this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fight has put Mayor London Breed and several city supervisors at odds with the coalition and several advocacy groups. Prior to the hearing, the two groups gathered in front of the courthouse to rally for or against the lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Karen Fleshman, who formerly ran for the San Francisco Board of Education, was rallying in support of the lawsuit to stop encampment sweeps. She pointed to a recent UCSF study that found the majority of those living on The City\u2019s streets&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/housing\/california-homeless-population-mostly-local-new-study-finds\/article_b43e2ba2-0f95-11ee-813b-fb4909af05b0.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lost their housing in California<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRather than rely on just our anecdotal impressions of homelessness, I think it\u2019s really important to look at a statistically reliable and valid study,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fleshman said affordable housing is a major driver of homelessness, but more can be done to quell the number of encampments. \u201cRight now, there are vacant supportive housing units for homeless people that are sitting empty because of bureaucratic delays in getting the people into them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-81.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28126\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey speaks at a rally in front of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ahead of a hearing in the case of the Coalition on Homelessness v. City and County of San Francisco on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.&nbsp;Allyson Aleksey\/The Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom Wolf, a San Francisco native who was formerly homeless, disagreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSince the injunction has been put in place, encampments have become entrenched in different spots throughout The City,\u201d he told The Examiner. \u201cAnd once those encampments become entrenched, more bad things happen \u2014&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/the-city\/sf-on-pace-for-most-fentanyl-overdose-deaths-since-2020\/article_ea98a638-f11c-11ed-9b84-972fb5efa56d.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overdose deaths are up<\/a>, (so is) crime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wolf said the causes of homelessness \u201ccould be argued all day\u201d but the issue boils down to addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs someone formerly homeless, if you\u2019re living in a tent, and you\u2019re on drugs in San Francisco, you have lost your agency,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd at some point, it\u2019s OK for the community to come in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-83.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28128\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Demonstrators gather ahead of a hearing at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.Allyson Aleksey\/The Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Public figures advocating for both sides showed up in full force, as did residents of neighborhoods that experience high rates of homelessness, who hoped to provide their points of view before policymakers stepped up to the mic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s kind of unbelievable that we\u2019re having to stage a counterprotest for people who want to have the power to throw away people\u2019s belongings, keep them in a perpetual state of trauma and uncertainty,\u201d said Brady, 30, a demonstrator who asked to go by his first name due to professional concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re protesting the homeless,\u201d he said. \u201cWanting to make their lives harder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But those advocating to bring back the sweeps are dubious that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/sf-battle-over-homelessness-will-reach-new-level-next-week\/article_9cb1141c-3e03-11ee-8fb2-b757b276ab9c.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the ongoing lawsuit<\/a>&nbsp;will solve the City\u2019s homelessness crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m down here when I should be somewhere else,\u201d said Patrick D., who asked to be identified by his last initial out of privacy concerns. \u201cI\u2019m here because we own property, and the tenants in our area have been waking up to addicts in the street, shooting up, smoking meth, doing God knows what.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patrick wouldn\u2019t give the exact location of his property but did share that it was in the Western Addition. In the last five years, he has dealt with vandalism, graffiti, broken windows, and fires due to unhoused people, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re tired of it,\u201d he said. \u201cSan Francisco is no longer San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4\" height=\"3\" src=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-80.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28125\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign supporting an injunction barring The City from conducting certain encampment sweeps compels readers to \u201c(be) on the right side of history\u201d on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.Allyson Aleksey\/The Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At its core, Wednesday\u2019s hearing before a panel of three judges was about housing and available beds for those that need it, according to Zal Shroff, the interim legal director for the Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the firms representing the coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe City\u2019s going to say until they\u2019re blue in the face, \u2018We do give shelter, we\u2019ve given shelter to so many people,\u2019\u201d Shroff said. But there just isn\u2019t enough on a daily basis, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The City\u2019s argument centered on the injunction and that the laws it prohibited, such as the forced movement of people sitting or sleeping outside and their belongings, were needed to keep the streets clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mayor Breed said that the Coalition for Homelessness has held San Francisco \u201chostage for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe City is being taken advantage of and we are tired of it,\u201d she said ahead of the hearing. \u201cThe goal here is to make sure the court of appeals understands we want a reversal of this injunction.&nbsp;The fact that the courts have crippled our ability to do our jobs, to help people get into shelter, is criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Breed said The City is prepared to do \u201cwhatever it takes\u201d to ensure a reversal through the city attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere has to be accountability,\u201d she said. \u201cLet\u2019s not let one judge impact our ability to do what all San Franciscans want, (which are) clean streets and homeless people to be helped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The City also argued that the term \u201cinvoluntary homeless\u201d was unclear, while the coalition maintained that the term refers to someone experiencing homelessness without adequate access to housing or temporary shelter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wednesday\u2019s hearing represented the beginning of a busy week. A hearing is slated for Thursday at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to discuss monitoring The City\u2019s adherence to the injunction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a question of operationalizing and making sure The City actually meets those commitments,\u201d Shroff said. \u201cThere\u2019s room after these hearings to work on that together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Opposing sides of San Francisco converged at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday morning for a hearing about one of the major flashpoints embroiling The City: how to best serve its unhoused population. Oral arguments in&nbsp;the ongoing legal&nbsp;battle between The City and the Coalition on Homelessness were&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/08\/24\/dueling-rallies-show-homelessness-divides-sf-more-than-ever\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28123"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28123"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28130,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28123\/revisions\/28130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}