Civil Rights Feds Enter Ongoing Suit Fighting Criminalization Of Homeless Who Sleep In Public Places When There Is Insufficient Shelter Space

In Boise, Idaho, the Idaho Statesman reports:

• The U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interest [] in an ongoing lawsuit filed by several homeless people against the city of Boise over its ban on sleeping in public places.
  
  In its filing, the federal government argues that making it a crime for people who are homeless to sleep in public places when there is insufficient shelter space unconstitutionally punishes them for being homeless.
  
  The statement of interest was filed in Boise federal court in Bell v. City of Boise, a 2009 case brought by homeless plaintiffs who were convicted under Boise ordinances that criminalize sleeping or camping in public.

For more, see Dept. of Justice weighs in on lawsuit against Boise’s ban on sleeping in public places.

For the U.S. Justice Department news release, see Justice Department Files Brief to Address the Criminalization of Homelessness.