A disability rights advocacy group has filed a new lawsuit to halt the city of Grants Pass from closing one of two sanctioned homeless camps and restricting the hours of the other.
The Oregonian reports the suit is the first major case following last summer's US Supreme Court ruling that found public camping restrictions in Grants Pass did not constitute "cruel and unusual punishment."
Disability Rights Oregon and the Oregon Law Center joined to represent five people, ages 47 to 66, who live with disabilities, ranging from arthritis to vertigo.
Since August, the Grants Pass City Council had required all homeless people to stay at one of two sites in the city. But on January 7th, the Council decided to restrict camping further, voting to close the larger of the two sites, known as the J Street site. City staff estimated that roughly 120 tents were at the location.
At the same time, the council restricted the hours at the much smaller remaining camp on 7th Street to overnight camping only. The site holds roughly 30 tents and often is full, according to the suit.
Disability Rights Oregon contends that the closure of one of two acceptable camping sites violates state law and is not "objectively reasonable as to time, place and manner."
