FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2024
Save Austin Now PAC Celebrates SCOTUS Ruling Confirming Right of Cities to Regulate Public Camping and End Encampments
Renews Call for City to Fully Enforce Prop B, Re-commits to Lawsuit
AUSTIN, TX — Today nonpartisan Save Austin Now PAC is celebrating a U.S. Supreme Court ruling (6-3) that cities holds that have a right to enforce camping bans through an Oregon case, giving new momentum to Prop B, the camping ban which was re-instated in May 2021 by a 58%-42% vote after Save Austin Now spent two years putting the ordinance on the ballot and passing it.
As the independent site SCOTUS blog wrote today:
In City of Grant Pass v. Johnson, the court rules that “camping ban” laws restricting the homeless from sleeping on public property do not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” and are therefore not prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.
This ruling now applies nationwide as it is an established precedent.
“Residents of all cities deserve to have a safe community where public spaces are available to the public, not commandeered by small groups for private use,” said Save Austin Now PAC co-founders Matt Mackowiak and Cleo Petricek. “The worst Mayor in Austin history, Steve Adler, speciously claimed that the 9thCircuit ruling in this very case posed a threat to the City of Austin in his absurd justification for passing the disastrous camping ordinance in July 2019 in the first place. The will of the voters was clear in May 2021 when Prop B was overwhelmingly passed. Despite that, the City of Austin has not fully enforced Prop B and according to @DocumentingATX and the data visualization firm Nomadik AI, we now have more than 100 active encampments in our city, all in violation of city ordinance and state law. Enough is enough. We will see our lawsuit with the City of Austin through to the end, no matter what it takes. We renew our call on Mayor Kirk Watson, City Manager T.C. Broadnax, and the City Council to respect the will of the voters and this U.S. Supreme Court ruling and now fully enforce Prop B. Our public safety requires it.”
> To learn more about Save Austin Now PAC, please visit SaveAustinNowPAC.com
> To support our Prop B lawsuit, donate here -- https://secure.anedot.com/save-austin-now-pac/hold-city-hall-accountable-c9e1ad79648f72e6b8778
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