Judge orders Phoenix to clean up large homeless encampment

PHOENIX (AP) — A judge has ordered Phoenix to clean up a homeless encampment that spans nearly 10 blocks in the city’s downtown area. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled Monday that Phoenix is maintaining a “public nuisance” and city officials must show evidence at a July 10 hearing that they’re cleaning the area. Blaney sided with downtown Phoenix business owners who sued the city over the homeless camp known as “The Zone,” where about 700 people have lived in recent months. The business owners cite an increase in crime, drug usage in public, biohazards and break-ins.