San Francisco police and street cleaners take aggressive approach to clearing homeless encampments

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Police in San Francisco will start clearing out homeless residents who have refused to move from public areas under new policies. San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s office says Tuesday that city workers will continue offering housing and services to homeless people but they cannot sleep in public spaces. The goal is to prevent tents from popping back up in areas that have been cleared and to prevent smaller encampments from growing into larger ones. The U.S. Supreme Court in June made it easier for cities to ban homeless encampments. Advocates say they need real offers of housing and that encampment sweeps do not solve homelessness.