Clean-up crews sweep homeless camps in downtown Phoenix, court order limits what city can do

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Big street sweepers rolled through downtown Phoenix Friday morning, right through “The Zone,” where hundreds of homeless people have set up camp. “We’re people, we’re human, we have lives,” said Christina Clemons, who has lived on the street for eight years. “We’re doing the best we can, day to day. We just want our human rights.”

The City of Phoenix’s clean-up effort comes a day after a federal judge issued an injunction limiting what the city can do regarding homeless camps and the people that live there. The emergency injunction is in direct response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Arizona, which is pushing to protect the rights of the homeless. The order prohibits authorities from enforcing sleeping and camping bans on anyone who can’t get a bed in a shelter.

City officials are also not allowed to seize anyone’s property unless its contraband or poses a threat. “When you are taking survival gear like tents, blankets, clothes, or people’s medications or vital records, how is that going to help someone who is unsheltered potentially get back on their feet?” said attorney Ben Rundall with the ACLU of Arizona. “I think every person can understand that will make it much worse for someone who finds themselves unsheltered.”

Scott Hall is the deputy director of Phoenix’s Office of Homeless Solutions. He said that Friday’s enhanced clean up, in and around 12th Avenue and Madison Street, has been scheduled for weeks, and the court ruling did nothing to change that.

According to Hall, their goal was to be as respectful as possible while helping everyone move their stuff, then put it back once the area got a good cleaning. “We’re always trying to stay in compliance and make sure we don’t violate anybody’s rights,” said Hall. “Ultimately, we want to get people housed. What the judge ruled was absolutely in line with our process and how we handle clean up, and we followed that to a tee.”

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