In the article, “The Supreme Court Says Cities Can Punish People for Sleeping in Public Places”1 by Jennifer Ludden it is pretty clear how controversial the new Supereme Court Ruling that reverses the Eighth Amendment that goes against punishing people for sleeping outside. The article features dissent from Justice Sotomayor that in my opinion states the ruling is innately selfish and that having sleep is a human necessity. If you know anything about where things stand within the Supreme Courts (United State Supreme Court Justices) , Democratic judges are unfairly (in my opinion) and unethically outnumbered by Conservative judges. However, keep in mind no matter what ideology a judge has they are supposed to remain objective and their judgments made without opinion and this country is founded on Democratic principals not Conservative principals. This is why when Conservatives in particular gain too much power and control or are corrupted we see a lot of chaos and anarchy because the United States is Democratic not Conservative, America is not meant to be a dictatorship or kingdom. We have checks and balances in this country. There have been too many rulings and laws built around Democracy and it’s what works in this country. Democracy isn’t broken, it always worked before. and to break from it is to swim upstream. It accomplishes as much as heading your head on a wall.
We can clearly see from other rulings such as the overturning of Roe V. Wade eliminating the federal right to aborotion that when Donald Trump appointed Justices during his “presidency” (which I still firmly believe was due to an inability to prove election and polling fraud) that he made a point to nominate conservatives over liberals so that the Supreme Courts would be slanted toward the conservative and toward Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda which is major problem in my option. In fact there are six conservative justices and only three liberal justices and sadly no longer do we have Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Biographies of Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg) who had fought endlessly, setting a precedent for decades of American dignity, inclusion and human rights. I have received and signed petitions about shortening life terms of Supreme Court Justices so it is less likely to happen that justices can obtain so much power, and do so much injustice and corruption with subjective and opinioned agenda’s that do not serve all Americans.
Sleep is a need not something that people can conveniently quit like a bad habit. Eventually, if you do not go to sleep you will fall asleep, that is fall on the ground, pass out. Sleeping is essential for brain function, recovery and health. I need to know what the Supreme Court justices who voted to reverse the 8th Amendment and the right to sleeping outside intend for people who can’t afford housing to do without anywhere to sleep. In fact, the article states that “that the city’s (Grants Pass) regulations were so sweeping, they effectively made it illegal for someone without a home to exist.” It’s important to note that the Supreme Courts did nothing to improve the situation, provide legitimate solutions that help or solve homelessness as an epidemic. In fact, it looks like they are trying to make it look like homelessness simply doesn’t exist and we all know that anytime we pretend like something doesn’t exist it becomes a bigger problem, a snow ball effect, like trying to hide a lie.
I don’t know if you yourself have ever been homeless but there are only a few small differences between being homeless and living in a prison, in my opinion. In both places you may have shelter and bedding but it might not be comfortable. You don’t have much of a choice as to being there or who you are with and you don’t have much space for belongings. In both prison and in a shelter there is little privacy and safety as you are likely there living with strangers. In prison you are usually provided a mat or a bed and three meals a day and during the day you may have responsibilities like a work detail or you may just get to sit and literally watch television, use (limited) internet, read or play games. I know some conditions in some prisons are poor, dangerous and unsanitary but in many prisons there are a lot of services and help for prisoners and they may even have the opportunity to seek therapy, rehab or start a new career. Many shelters are often funded by churches that may be discriminatory toward people based on such things as religion, and often religious study like bible study is a requirement to being in the shelter. Many shelters have policies that force the homeless they shelter to leave during the day, even though they don’t have money to spend at businesses so they still have to sit outside during the day. Shelters may not offer enough food or the quality of food necessary to live healthfully because they get their food from donations from the churches. Shelters are not gaurunteed but if you are discovered for breaking laws it’s almost guaranteed you will end up in a prison. Shelters often have strict policies on conduct and expect their homeless to be looking for jobs and housing. There isn’t always enough space or beds and shelter isn’t always available for everyone and some towns may have few shelters or don’t even have one shelter at all. Some shelter’s give priority to certain homeless folks and not others. Some shelters are urban and inclusive though and have far more funding than others.
People end up homeless for specific reasons like job loss, eviction, mental illness, poor health, addiction, being violent or having convictions or felonies or domestic violence, and being a victim of a crime. It’s not always the homeless person’s fault in fact, it’s not usually the person’s fault that they became homeless in fact sometimes people do everything they can but are victims of crimes and end up becoming homeless and have to start all over again from rock bottom which takes tremendous time and effort for them and the people trying to help. Do you know anyone who has ever tried to go homeless on purpose? Who would do that? I have never heard of that before. If people could avoid doing crimes they probably would but many criminals don’t have a choice whether or not they can keep themselves out of trouble.
Sorry, Justices, but reversing the 8th Amendment protecting people who sleep outside from being punished doesn’t solve any problems, in fact it causes more problems. I whole heartedly believe this ruling is going to encourge prostitiution, sex and human exploitation and trafficking, as well as rape and domestic violence because people are going to have nowhere to run to. At least before they could run away to a park or encampment of some kind or they would be lucky f they had a car to sleep in, hoping to stay away from predators. Now people are in a vice and at the whim of anyone who has leverage from an abusive predator or a greedy landlord. This really smacks of an agenda to publicly reinstate slavery, I can’t be the only drawing these connections over and over again. Your “solution”, SCOTUS, is just a band aid on a much larger wound in a broken system that doesn’t fix homelessness. The rulings of our American Supreme Courts appointed by Donald Trump is anti-Democratic and anti-American. Democracy is what this country was founded upon, not Republicanism. It’s pitiful and embarrassing and the conservative Justices clearly possess too much power. One thing that has been recently brought to our attention is that by voting Democratic you will also be voting to put power into the hands of a Democratic President who will balance the Supreme Courts.
“Ludden, Jennifer. “The Supreme Court Says Cities Can Punish People for Sleeping in Public Places.” NPR, NPR, 28 June 2024, www.npr.org/2024/06/28/nx-s1-4992010/supreme-court-homeless-punish-sleeping-encampments.