On Thursday, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit in Spokane, Washington, alleging that three of the city’s ordinances on camping and use of public space violate the State’s Constitution and “in effect, criminalize homelessness.”
In a press release on Thursday, the civil rights group identified the three ordinances at the center of its legal complaint filed in Spokane Superior Court. These ordinances make camping within a certain zone and laying on public property between 6 a.m. and midnight misdemeanors, with minimal exceptions.
Misdemeanors in the state are punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or jail for up to 90 days.
The group claims that these laws “functionally criminalize homelessness and impose cruel punishments in violation” of Washington State’s Constitution.
A spokesperson for the City of Spokane told Newsweek in an email Thursday night that “the City is unable to comment at this time, as we have not been served with the lawsuit.”
The city clerk’s …