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Judge Will Decide Whether LA Should Humanely 'Remove' Homeless Encampments During Pandemic

By Julia Paskin
Published May 15, 2020 6:25 AM
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Tents above the 101 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
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A potential order to ban homeless encampments under and around Los Angeles freeways will go before U.S. District Judge David O. Carter today.

The city and county of Los Angeles had to deliver a plan to the judge on the quickest and most humane way to remove freeway encampments. The judge previously cited concerns over public health and safety issues for the homeless community during the spread of COVID-19.

Daniel Conway with the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights says the move could be the seed for much larger change.

"Not only would it require the city and county to work together to relocate thousands of people to more safe conditions. But in doing so they could create a prototype of how to do that of other folks living unsheltered."


In March, the Alliance, a coalition of Skid Row-based businesses and formerly homeless individuals, sued the city and county over not doing enough to address the homeless problem in Downtown L.A.
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You may remember Judge Carter from an Orange County case that led to the dismantling of the Santa Ana riverbed encampment and a continued battle over placement of homeless shelters.

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