Fresno to receive class action lawsuit against its policies surrounding the unhoused

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- According to the complaint, which was filed connected December 10, the people enactment suit alleges "the City's unconstitutional practices and ordinances criminalize homelessness and systemically deprives unhoused individuals."

The defendants listed successful the suit see the City of Fresno and 4 of its officers.

"The lone happening that we person are tons of citations and arrests erstwhile we person the quality to with each of the backing that the metropolis has gone done we could person changed truthful galore people's lives for the better," said Kevin Little, lawyer representing the plaintiffs successful the suit against the City of Fresno.

The suit lists mendacious arrests arsenic good arsenic violations of owed process and favoritism against persons with disabilities.

The 61-page papers is seeking unspecified damages for members of Fresno's unhoused community, specifically highlighting 2 plaintiffs - Wickey Two-Hands and Joseph Quinney, who suffice for definite protections nether state, federal, and disablement laws.

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Attorney Kevin Little has represented some plaintiffs successful transgression court.

"When they were cited and apprehension for violations of the anterior mentation of the ordinance and erstwhile those cases were connected the verge of proceedings the City dismissed the charges against some of them," said Little.

City Attorney Andrew Janz issued a connection connected the lawsuit, which work successful part, "I look guardant to taking this lawsuit to the Supreme Court - the aforesaid Supreme Court that upheld this benignant of ordinance."

"It sounds similar the City is leaning connected a Supreme Court determination from a twelvemonth and a fractional agone called Johnson vs. Grant's Pass, but we aren't asserting immoderate claims that subordinate to that case," said Little.

Janz's connection goes connected to read, "the municipal instrumentality passed by the Fresno City Council does not punish lodging status, conscionable behavior."

Little hopes this suit volition service arsenic a exemplary for different cities and jurisdictions erstwhile it comes to the unhoused.

"I anticipation that's the prime the City makes alternatively than to walk millions of dollars and perchance years successful tribunal portion radical proceed to endure and dice connected the streets," said Little.

On December 12, the City of Fresno volition beryllium served with the complaint.

Both parties volition past look successful national tribunal with a day acceptable successful April.

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