Homelessness: A Crime or a Crisis?

The Supreme Court grapples with the issue of homelessness being criminalized in Grants Pass, Oregon. The city's ordinance fines and jails homeless individuals for sleeping outside, a practice deemed cruel and unusual punishment by lower courts. The goal of the ordinance is not to solve homelessness but to make life uncomfortable enough for homeless people to leave. The lack of compassion and solutions for homelessness raises questions about the effectiveness of such laws. The Supreme Court must consider the profound difficulty of addressing homelessness and not allow cities to resort to punitive measures against those in desperate need of shelter and support.